MaRY

http://www.dannyisthebomb.com

GIVING

I recently had a great email “conversation” today with my friend.  I was struggling with some changes and she relayed to me a great passage she had recently read:

Sit in the sun and warm up. Sit in the sun. soak up the love and warmth from the world around you. take that warmth into your everyday life. open your heart more to the people you see, the people you meet, the people you greet, and the people you love. practice being warm, loving and open. do more than just think a kind loving thought. say it. do more than just think of something nice you’d like to do for someone. do it. 

I recently was made aware of this website: www.dannyisthebomb.com through the same friend.  I breezed over the site.  I came back again and read more thoroughly.  I then came across a section of the site and read this:   It’s selfish to just read on this website. If you have bothered to come on this website then you either know Danny personally or have been affected or touched by him somehow. If you have visited this website then contribute to it.  It struck a chord with me. First of all because my family had a hard year in 2010.  We struggled, we loved and some how we pushed through.  My grandmother passed away after living an awesome 93 years.  We knew it was coming but it was a long, hard road.  And then in the fall our family childhood friend suddenly became ill in September.  My brother spent countless days and nights by his bedside at the hospital, helping his buddies wife - all the while going to work and taking care of his own family.  Unfortunately a month into his hospital stay - he passed away.  39.  Only 39 years old.  I could tell my brother was struggling during the hospital visits….but he pushed through and we did all we could do to be there for him and our family friend.  So seeing this website about someone so young and so full of life and seeing the affect it had not only on his life, but his girlfriend, brother and family really brought it home for me.  So I donated and I will again.  

I think too often in this fast paced world - we forget to just stop and be human.  We forget to reach out to others and be there for each other.  I include myself in this generalization.  We get caught up in our lives and plowing forward that sometimes we just need to live a little more.  I could have easily just read  through this website and carried on with my daily life.  While I don’t know the family, I know that support is so important….and I want to be one of those people that does things, that follows through with my word and contributes.

So, take the time.  Look at the site:  www.dannyisthebomb.com  Give. Donate. Be there.  And pass it on.  And if not at this particular place - check out things in your community.  Do it.

It’s been awhile..

I’ve been away.  2010 came and went.  It was busy.  It was good, busy, hard, sad, filled with transitions, changes and ultimately a year of learning.  I’m back and I have a lot to say.

beermemaine: Farewell, Summer. You were good to us this year.

beermemaine:

Farewell, Summer. You were good to us this year.

(Source: livememaine)

nevver: Dead at 85, Tony Curits

nevver:

Dead at 85, Tony Curits

nevver: “Who do you have to fuck to get off this picture?” - Tony Curtis [ w/Stanley Kubrick ]

nevver:

“Who do you have to fuck to get off this picture?”
- Tony Curtis [ w/Stanley Kubrick ]

I didn’t think I could do it.  Or, at least I wasn’t sure.  But now I am sure.  There was no way in hell I was going to let the Pumpkinhead Beer mascot beat me at a 10K.  It just wasn’t going to happen.  Turns out I could do it.  Turns out I’m stronger than I thought I was.  I thought of my grandma who told me I could do anything.  The same woman who showed me unconditional love.  I finished.  AND I finished in 58:26.

I didn’t think I could do it.  Or, at least I wasn’t sure.  But now I am sure.  There was no way in hell I was going to let the Pumpkinhead Beer mascot beat me at a 10K.  It just wasn’t going to happen. 

Turns out I could do it.  Turns out I’m stronger than I thought I was.  I thought of my grandma who told me I could do anything.  The same woman who showed me unconditional love.  I finished.  AND I finished in 58:26.

nevver: Sagmeister

nevver:

Sagmeister

nevver: And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started

nevver:

And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started

In 1973, I skipped my teacher’s meeting & rode a bus from Flagstaff, AZ to Heber City, UT to meet you..

On my birthday every year both my mom and grandmother would tell me this story. Some years it would make me cringe with annoyance and other years I would embrace it for the pure fact that it was a big event in their lives.  

When I say my grandma was so different than most grandmas out there - I truly do mean it.  All grandparents are different.  My dad’s parents were completely different than my mom’s parents.  Both sets were important parts of my life growing up.

I was fortunate to have Gram in my life for 36 years of my life.  She watched us when we were kids, stayed with us while my parents went on vacation….  All my summers growing up were spent at her house in the mountains of Flagstaff.  Her husband passed away nearly 29 years ago.  She continued to live an amazing life….filled with travels, cooking, entertaining, playing tennis, etc…  She was so stylish - sewing some of the most cutting edge clothing from her Vogue patterns. She was so smart when it came to her money.  Investing her money wisely.

She grew up on a farm without electricity in Ohio.  In college she roomed with her sisters.  She talked about how she didn’t have the best GPA, but had a good time. She was a high school teacher.  She took classes to learn how to use the computer in her 60s.  We instant messaged for a number of years.  She used her cell phone on a regular basis.  Best of all, she wrote some fabulous letters.  She was a great tennis player, she tried her best to teach me..

She was such an amazing force in our lives.  She showed me through her actions and words - the value of unconditional love.  She supported me and encouraged me regardless of the choices I made or the paths I took.  

It was hard over the past year seeing her slow down and seeing her become so dependent on my mom.  Our instant messaging stopped, but our phone calls continued.  She stopped writing letters, but I kept on writing.  Our weekly phone calls continued - to talk about life, the weather, my dog and how she missed me. 

When I went home for Christmas, she was slowing down, but was still aware and was stronger.  The past 2 weeks were hard - not knowing just how much longer she had. She was tired, she was ready to let go.  She lived an amazing long life.   Getting a phone call at 4 AM East Coast time was hard….but knowing that she’s on to a better place, wherever that may be, is reassuring.  

chances are..

I actually don’t have anything to say..  Believe it or not.  Perhaps it’s the all night drinking and bowling adventure I found myself on last night.  Perhaps it’s because it was such a beautiful day.  All of my troubles sort of floated away while spending the day at the beach.  Perhaps it’s because I wish more than anything I could be home with my family while my Grandma is struggling tonight in Arizona…  The call from my dad letting me know that Grandma was probably not going to last much longer just completely left me feeling like I had been punched in the stomach.  All sorts of feelings came rushing through me….mainly wishing I was at home in AZ.

I managed to shoot 2 more rolls of film - in hopes of coming up with backup for my photo show next month.  I ran test runs with my digital camera to make sure the layout and composition would work.  Again I found myself portraying that individual torn between 2 different worlds.  

(and yes, I wore this to work on St. Patty’s Day - another one of my theories: if you tuck it in, you’ve made an attempt to look professional for a day in the office with the Suits)