A Christmas without Joyce

   Last Christmas was a very subdued one for our family.  My stepmother had passed away in June and my father was truly lonely.  So lonely in fact, that he chose not to decorate the house for the holidays.    The lack of Christmas decorations which defined my stepmother's happy disposition left a huge hole in our hearts and spirits.  The silly battery-operated toys were packed in the basement beneath the staircase.  The tree cried to be freed from the carton.  Even the creche remained packed.

  Then, three days before Christmas, my daughter brought out the tree, a few decorations, and make a gallant effort to restore some semblance of normality in my father's home.  It was a truly loving effort, for it brought a spark of life to the home, even with all its sadness and reminders plainly in view.

  Christmas day itself was quiet, of course.  But there were smiles and cookies, for Joyce's family also contributed to what happiness they could muster.  I really feel that Dad was pleased, even if you could still read the lost look in his eyes.

  God bless you, Joyce.  Christmas will never be the same without you, but we shall try with open hearts and bright smiles to bring happiness back into our hearts.

Holidailies

  Hello.  I just signed up to participate at http://www.holidailies.org/  for this holiday season.  This is new to me and I hope this month-long exercise will help me to blog on a more daily basis.  

Gladiolus

Sentinel of my garden
Your children spent,
Yet you remain strong.
Noble slender grace
Slowly dying into Gia.
Impending frost,
A lullaby of death

Adieu my Sentry,
Until we meet again!

Jafra and then, real life.

I have to say I'm always excited when I talk about Jafra or use my Jafra products! They just make me feel so good when I use them. I am really grooving on this new lovely lifestyle I've thrown myself into.

Speaking of life, things at Dad's are on a teeter-totter. Stefanie STILL has no GED, is a pain in everyone's ass and pretty much, proving herself to be worth very little at the moment. I'm pretty unhappy with her behavior and hope to find some way to get through to her that Dad won't be around to support her forever and she has to start being responsible for her actions NOW.

Speaking of Dad, he's still not wanting to eat, won't let me do much for him until it's almost too late and he's in a tizzy. It's very frustrating and makes me horribly nervous when I have to listen to his rants and try to repair his finances and whatever else is on his mind. He just misses Joyce so bad. She did EVERYTHING for him. And now, he's finding it impossible to do things for himself. No wonder he's depressed.

Okay, done venting about Dad and Stef.

I AM going to Florida in September. I hope. I really need this. I want to see Disney World again. I'm counting the days and hope Dad will be okay the ten days we are gone!!!

Sunset

Sunset, originally uploaded by clodvantam.

Even thought this is a sunset photo, I feel it's appropriate to how I feel after watching the movie Across the Universe. I am simply in awe.

Life is good. Especially with coffee. *GRIN*

2008 and STILL no flying car

Happy '08.

Never thought I'd make it this far. My teenage death wish never came to pass. I made it well beyond the thirty-five years I had given myself.

Phew.

May thing year bring sanity to the masses, humor to the humorless, and funding for more humanitarian projects.

But on the reality side of things:

This year will bring about more panic over super bugs, the weather changes will still fuel the "End is near" bullshit talks, Oprah will make one bad "slip of the tongue" mistake by siding with Obama a bit too eagerly, and Paris Hilton will NOT end up getting knocked up.

And war still rages in areas of the world.

Same shit, different year.

Spencer at Hooters

Spencer at Hooters, originally uploaded by clodvantam.

The happiest day of Spencer's life!

Can ya tell how happy he is? This was taken September 2006 in Clearwater Florida.