Hello All,

…don’t post much anymore…seems I don’t have anything to say that is any good to anybody…y’all say it all…

Anyway, in my neverending quest to “find the joy”… have been reliving some past memories…and hoping it might help someone else so I don’ feel so selfish.

One Memorable Moment…

18 yrs old…playing basketball in the basement of a buddy’s Baptist church (Pastor’s favorite, Pastor’s favorite)…10 of us, 2 teams, couple of ringers… but most evenly matched. I’m thinking, NOTHING could ever be this much fun…(35 yrs later and I’m still thinking, well, not much else…)

Then, IT happened…racing down court with the ball…hard ass linoleum floor...just past the foul line…red headed Kevin in front of me…thinking “I can take him”…moved the ball around my back…deked him…and JUMPED toward the hoop……….

Now, I am and was 6’ 3”… but, with a serious case of WMD and small hands, have never dunked (tennis balls DON’T count)…THIS time, well…

Jumping is a joy…ANY kid can tell you or demonstrate…after a while you come to recognize…. just how….long….you….will....stay….in….the….air…At that precise moment I realized….

I’m still up….

WOW…

I’m flying…

WOW…

This is SO cool…

WOW…

To quote Pres Reagan, in one of the most compelling, gut wrenching, beautifully delivered speeches (politics be damned) of my entire life (even tho it was later, I must have thought this)…

I’ve “slipped the surly bonds of earth”

WOW…

I should be down by now…

WOW…

I looked down, and I’m still UP…

WOW…

Distracted…I just laid it in…major regret…I COULDA DUNKED!!!

That a split second in time, and that’s all it was, can be so imprinted still boggles my mind…but, oh my…what a joy!!!!

Now PLEASE, share a moment or two in YOUR life…you never know just how much it could mean to someone else…

Best,

Jon

First of all Jon - you don't post enough.

You may think you have nothing to say but there are those of us - and I am one, that hang on your every word. I miss you when I don't see you, I smile when I see you post to a thread and I love to read threads you start because I know I'm in for a treat.

I often "save" yours til last - and read other threads first so I can save the bit I want most, keep the anticipation and just have it for longer.. so there!

Let that be an end to this "I have nothing to say" stuff cos I'm not having it and you should know better than to piss off a short witch with a long distance broom licence!!

I need to think of a golden moment, I can think of several, babies first smiles, the first moments I saw each of my kids, my first ever convention - EVERY convention in fact - I have many many golden moments but I want to think of one that is more unexpected

Now - YOU post more honeybun, You make my day when you do

love
Helen x

wrote on Apr 9^th, 2009 at 7:58am:

First of all Jon - you don't post enough.

I concur.  


wrote on Apr 9^th, 2009 at 7:58am:

I have many many golden moments but I want to think of one that is more unexpected.

It deserves some careful thought.  

You've given us something worthwhile and pleasant to think about today.  That's the point, after all.   ;)

Good to see you again.

Best wishes,

George

wrote on Apr 9^th, 2009 at 7:58am:

First of all Jon - you don't post enough. You may think you have nothing to say but there are those of us - and I am one, that hang on your every word. I miss you when I don't see you, I smile when I see you post to a thread and I love to read threads you start because I know I'm in for a treat. I often "save" yours til last - and read other threads first so I can save the bit I want most, keep the anticipation and just have it for longer.. so there! Let that be an end to this "I have nothing to say" stuff cos I'm not having it and you should know better than to piss off a short witch with a long distance broom licence!! I need to think of a golden moment, I can think of several, babies first smiles, the first moments I saw each of my kids, my first ever convention - EVERY convention in fact - I have many many golden moments but I want to think of one that is more unexpected Now - YOU post more honeybun, You make my day when you do love Helen x

I just realised - that was and always is a golden moment in itself.

Still trying to pick just one moment, you don't know how many smiles you have given me today and how many times I've mentally hugged your neck.

I think sometimes we all think "Why me?" I know I do. I forget about all the good and wonderful things I DO have and allow the negative things to have precedence and how wrong that is.

The simple fact that I'm having difficulty picking ONE moment shows me how blessed I am, how fortunate, how priviledged and how life really HAS smiled on me.

I don't think you know just what you started honeybun but you've done me more good today than all the doctors I've seen in the last six months - no, I take that back, you've given me much, much more because you've given me something nothing can take away (((HUG)))

One that sticks out in my memeory is the day my 6 yr. old son's teacher called (laughing) to tell me that he had announced to his entire class that he was going to bring his Mom in for the next "show and tell".

When she asked him why...his response was so alla you can see what a great mom looks like.

Of course he changed his mind when he was 15, but he can't take that memory away from me.  LOL

Great Post Jon!

I was in the basement going through some vacation pics and was brought back to Curacao, my all time favorite vacation.  John and I went with a vendor and we were with our "vacation friends" (the same group we spent time with on all our vendor vacations).

It was early afternoon and everyone was lazing around in loungechirs or in the hot tub.  John had went up to the room to take a nap.  I wasn't tired and didn't want to go in the hot tub, so I decidied to take a walk down to the water.  

The beach was deserted excpt for me and one other lady.  We were standing there looking out at the water, enjoying the beautiful view watching some snorkelers in the bay.  We both noticed in the distance the water was bubbling.  At first I thought it was a school of fish churning up the water, then we saw the snorklers pop out of the water and they looked like they were in a hurry to get out of there.  Whatever was in the water it was headed straight for us.   :o

When it was about 40-50 feet out we realized what it was....a Whale Shark!!  It beached itself right at our feet!!  I couldn't believe what I was seeing.  I ran back, woke everyone and told them to grab their cameras and ran back down to the water.  

The staff of the Marriott was not too happy about having this huge creature on thier beach.  At first everyone was trying to push it back out.  That didn't work.  Boats were called in.  That didn't work.  The Coast Guard was called, and in came a huge ship and hellicopter.  Finally, after hours of trying to get it back out to sea, the Coast Guard was successful.

The next day, the group went into town to get provisions (ok, lots of alcohol) at a local grocery store.  There,on the front page, in full color, was the story of the beached whale shark.  Someone noticed that I was in the pic.  Not hard to pick me out of a crowd with my hair.  Kinda like a lit match in the dark.  LOL

That is only one story from that vacation.  Our group also crashed (ok, they took pity on us and invited us in) the employee party on the tennis courts.  (we heard live music and followed the sound)

And for the finale...... we were told to wear white for the sendoff party and group pic.  WTF?  It was February and who has an all white outfit?  We all decided to wear toga's.  All we had to do was tip the maids generously and they were happy to accommodate us.  That was one fun night to end a blast of a vacation.

Yes, I do have pics.  :)

Beth

Our OB/GYN glanced at me over the drape and said  "You don't seem to be squeamish"
"Nope" I replied.
Through his mask I could see a slight grin "Want to help catch her as she comes out?"

I sprinted to the scrub sink, pretended to do a good job, then rolled my stool around next to him and followed his instructions - even how to carefully inspect the placenta for signs of bits left behind.

Although I repeated the process with several more daughters, that first time experiencing the miracle will always be a life altering moment to me.

I'm with Helen...you don't post enough.  Hope to see more of you.
There are so many memorable times, but the one I always think of one in particular -

My younger sister was stopped  in Maryland for trafficking drugs and she had Crystal with her - she was 6 months old and they put her in foster care.

It took me a month of lawyers, hearings, sleepless nights, traveling back and forth from NY to MD before the judge awarded me custody.  I was only 21 and was very focused on my career, partying, dating, but there was no way I was leaving Crystal.  

I had to prove to the judge my job was stable, I was stable, they checked into my background, my mom retired to take care of her while I worked...anyway, when I finally got her it was like winning the lottery.   Poor thing was all ready to go and lying in a dirty crib, as soon as she saw me she raised her little hands to me - I couldn't beleieve she recognized me...the lady there said she never raised her hands to be picked up.  Anyway, I practically ran out of there with her.  

Then she went into convulsions from high fever and I had to step out of the greyhound in rainy weather...a nice man stopped and took me to the hospital...but that's another story.  :)

Crystal is 19 today and to me she's still a baby...which makes her crazy...LOL

Langa

PS:  I wanted to add that had not been for her in my life, I would have made some pretty stupid choices.  After having her, I always had to consider carefully any decisions I made.

Wonderful to see you jon!   :)  You, sir, need to show your face around here more often.......

Reading Marc and Langa's moments reminded me of one.  Actually it was two moments/events.

Eight years ago this week, I was in a hospital room with my Daddy.  He had been taken off life support and I knew he would die soon.  It was to hard for my Mother and brothers.  I told them it was OK they should go out and I would stay with Daddy....we would be fine.  They kissed him and left.  I stayed with my Daddy, just the two of us, for several hours...we talked (he didn't really but I did and I know in his mind he talked back to me)....I hugged him, kissed him, held him and told him it was OK.....  he slipped away from me forever.

Almost 2 years after that I was in another hospital room.  This time with my son and daughter-in-law.  We were having a baby...my first grandchild.  I saw him born and cut the cord.  

I saw in those two 'moments' God at work.  He took my beloved Daddy from me and then he gave me my precious grandson.

I saw death and birth.  I saw God at work.

Much Love
Jackie


And I must add:  Langa, I've said it before and I'll say it again....you're an amazing woman...

Happy Birthday to your baby   :)

Funnily enough Jackie my story is similar.

I had an "other mother" - my own mum was, well, lets just say difficult and leave it at that. my best friends mother was wonderful, to her I was one of hers and that was all there was to it. I loved her so so much.

She had alzheimers and didn't recognise Lisa any more but she always knew me whenever I got to visit. I felt bad for Lisa with that but I have to be honest and say I was just so glad she DID know me. Lisa and I were with her day and night for those last days. We were sat either side of her the afternoon before she died and she woke and she knew us both. She knew who Lisa was as well as me. We talked, we cried and oh  God how we laughed. It seemed to last for hours and at the same time it didn't last nearly long enough. She told us to look after each other and she told us she loved us. her actual words to me were "You've always been a little bleeder and it doesn't look like you're gonna change now - and that's a good thing. Don't" You have to imagine this in a board cockney accent! Oh I loved her so much. Her kids asked me to speak about her at her funeral and that was one of the hardest and most wonderful things I've ever done. I got to pay tribute to a woman who'd shown me nothing but love and I got to share my memories of her and my admiration with everyone. I miss her every day but if I can listen, I hear exactly what she still has to tell me.

Lil was and is the best part of me. She more than anyone else made me the person that I am.

I miss her every day and smile every time I think of her.

Oh Helen....your story of Lil makes me smile and makes me cry...
and makes me want to hug your neck.... :-*

I have enough friends who know how I believe in Miracles. My grandmother, the one who died last fall, is the reason.  You see, years ago, in fact shortly after we moved to Oregon, my grandmother and my Mom lived in a house we had built behind us on our property. I was busy building a career, my Mom was getting used to retirement, and GG was well into her 80's. Never sick a day in her life, I  was stunned when Mom called me to tell me GG was ill, had collapsed on her bedroom floor, and Mom couldn't help her(well, duuhh! GG was a big strapping woman, Mom was tiny and frail.) I called 911 and raced down to their house, and when I saw GG, I knew her time was up. Fast forward 2 days in the hospital. GG was on every kind of life support imaginable. She did not believe in life support, but as the Dr was trying to determine what was wrong, and if it was treatable, it was necessary.  NOONE could put a name to her affliction. She was stuck in ICU, and wasn't getting better. Mom called her Pastor, who came right away. As he greeted her, GG said to him, 'I think I'm dying, Bruce".......I heard her.......he asked GG....."are you ready?". I soo remember, Mom, Bruce and I watching as GG looked at the ceiling-stared hard, in silence for about 30 seconds. It was NOT ceiling she saw, I believe she saw God, or at the very least, Angels....because after this long silence, she looked back at Pastor aND REPLIED.....i JUST DON'T KNOW! wITH THAT, HER BODY BEGAN TO WORK ONCE AGAIN ON IT'S OWN, she slowly returned to complete health, no repercussions whatsoever....I saw, in those long moments, a miracle in action.
Now, on to last Fall. GG was 103 at the time. She had lost all of her children, all of her peers,and suddenly the day prior, the man she had  befriended in the nursing home died. She TOLD me a day later, she had NOTHING left....she was tired and she was ready to go.
GG received a miracle back those many years ago..the miracle of being returned to complete health. She also received a miracle when, as she realized her life had become more burden than pleasure, she told God she was tired, and he granted her that last miracle...that of sweet release. In those 2 instances, I cemented my realtionship with God, and my resolve to be like GG and live till there was nothing left of my life.......maybe in the distant future, I, too, will have a miracle.

I LOVE reading these stories.....I hope everyone has one of these to share, and yes, they can be that exquisite moment of birth, or the day of your best baseball game, or, in my case, the story of the seashells that sit in front of me as I type. pLEASE KEEP THESE STORIES GOING!

Helen, I really can't wait to see you in July!
Thanks Jackie - a lot of people would have done the same thing...trust me, i've doubted many times if I did the right thing, especially when she became a teenager. LOL

Langa

The birth of my 2 children and the death of my mother go unsaid as very memorable moments but a unique one was at Lisa's very last swim meet for the YMCA. She was asked to play a flute solo of the National Anthem at the YMCA National  meet before the very last session of finals. Of course before the anthem the announcer did a beautiful tribute to all of the seniors wishing them the best in their future and thanking them for so many years of committment. I was already a mess after his speech and worried that Lisa wouldn't make it through but she did beautiful. I was so very proud of her, even more so then any swimming she had done that week.

Charlotte