And when he spoke, his words mattered

On February 24

Father Joe Desmond died

He lived an amazing life.

He was kind,

soft spoken and humble.

He cared.

He is the reason

I didn't give up on the church.

He was what each of us should be.

He was a gem.

In 1980, when Kenny and I decided to get married,

we asked Father Joe to perform the service.

For weeks he would meet with us.

We'd hike through the woods at UNH,

talking about our dreams,

our goals,

the things that mattered to us. 

Our afternoons would end at

The Tin Palace.

Pizza and Beer.

He didn't say a lot.

He listened.

But he did say this.

"Sometimes you meet two people

and it just seems as though God has put his finger

on both of their heads,

bringing them together.

I feel that when I am with the two of you."

We never forgot that.

Especially during the hard times.

Thank you, Father Joe.

You have been a blessing in our lives.

I am sure Kenny was happy to see you.

IN WHICH I enjoy a Valentine's Day, I remember a year ago, and an Apple goes to the hospital.

I suppose I should begin with my computer needing to be repaired. 

For those of you with any kind of Mac you are familiar with the little beach ball.

You know the one I am talking about. 

The one that tells you to wait.

Well, I would wait, and wait, and wait.

I assumed this was normal.

Alexandra, however, assured me that I had the slowest computer in the world.

I brought it in for a check up.

She was right.

After purchasing TWO external hard drives

(I'll explain that another time)

I learned how to back up my computer,

take all photographs off

I left my baby to be tested.

Hard drive - check

Software - not so much

The wonderful "doctors" at my Apple hospital

found the problem,

repaired everything

and now I am sort of back up and running.

Valentine's Day

The Boathouse

Beautiful Company

Delicious food

Great night

Thanks, Sophie

Memories

A year ago

Kenny had a seizure

Some people with FTD do

There was no roadmap. There still isn't.

Graham and Alexandra were both home with us

What happened because of the anti seizure medication 

was inconceivable 

A year ago

I am so grateful for the time we had

Learning a lens

First week

 The more I take photos,

the more I am sure that I know very little.

There is so much to learn.

I could read and practice constantly,

and there is so much more to understand.

It is fun however, when I take that shot,

and it looks just the way I think it should.

I love that.

Rumson Part 3

The Jersey Shore

Really

The sun was shining on the sea,

Shining with all his might:

He did the very best to make

The billows smooth and bright~

Lewis Carroll

Break, break, break, 

On thy cold gray stones, O sea!

And I would that my tongue could utter

The thoughts that arise in me

Lord Alfred Tennyson

Rumson Part 2

Living in the Land of the Giants

Everyone was ready

Even Lulu

She was all about the Giants.

I couldn't talk her out of it

Patrick was sure the Giants would win

Just as sure as I was the the Patriots would.

And we all know how that turned out.

For Pat, it was all about the game

For the adults, it was about

the food (amazing)

the drinks (needed)

and of course

the game

This, my friends, was after the Giants intercepted.....

Lots of noise

Lots of jumping

I still thought we could do it

There were a few Patriot fans

We believed we would win until the last pass.

What a tough loss

My trip to Rumson

part 1

Look at us

We were kids

Not a care in the world

Well, that's not really true.

I had two babies

but Denise and I were connected.

Even when we didn't see one another

we talked.

We  were in Bob and Denise's wedding. 

Alexandra and Graham loved going to

Uncle Bob and Aunt Denise's

They made it such fun

Two years ago I got a telephone call that brought me to my knees.

Bob, one of the healthiest men I had ever known,

was dead.

How could that be? 

He had been out to dinner the night before.

We hadn't seen Bob and Denise in awhile.

At the time, I couldn't travel with Kenny

His Frontotemporal Degeneration

had progressed enough that we could not travel

And now

Here we are

Two widows

How is this possible?

The Long and Winding Road

Today began early

I set my alarm

Had a cappuccino

Worked out

(I hate that)

Todays assignment was

What are you wearing

Really?

I decided with Donna that what I was wearing would not do for todays photo

(Spandex and sneakers are not a good look for me)

Words

We decided to do words

These mean the world to me

And then I was off

To the land of the Giants

I am armed with my Patriots gear 

(thank you Mike)

Visiting Denise and Patrick is special

I am blessed to have them in my life.

(Even if they do like the Giants)