#gratitude – this is our life

In the papers

How did you meet your significant other? Not in the funny papers as my comic id wants to say, but in NY Press, a printed news sheet. It was free, found in little boxes around town. The meet your mate or date section was also free. In short, I answered Burt’s personal ad. He calledContinue reading “In the papers”

Best, better, best

If you could relive one day from your past, which day would it be and why? The day Burt and I went on our 2nd date. A day that led us to the many years we had together.

We are humble: patience

This is not a brag Caregiving carries with it a grand responsibility. Rather than make us grandiose, it humbles us. One of my caregiver friends is as thrilled by the purple umbrella she gifted herself as a diva is by pearls, champagne and fancy chocolates. No diva, but a queen of caring. My own experienceContinue reading “We are humble: patience”

Rakish

It’s a Sunday pastime of mine, going through photos, looking for the one or dozen that tickle me the most.

Forever

What’s a moment you wish you could freeze and live in forever? Sunday, May 3rd marked the 36th year since we met. The moments we spent together on that day are frozen in my memory. On that evening, we had wandered the city from West 21st Street to a restaurant at 50th and 1st Avenue.Continue reading “Forever”

“The way you wear your hat…”

My photo portfolio is full of all those shots I took of Burt.* Some picture of Burt is bound to come to the screen every day. This is the one that gave me my smile yesterday.∆ * As I pointed the camera at him, Burt would say something like you really love me; you’re alwaysContinue reading ““The way you wear your hat…””

I ♥️ Support Groups

To me, it’s not a paying back or a pay-it-forward. I think of it as a graduation. I was a huge consumer of support groups while I was caregiving. I know how much I needed those sessions with others in a similar place. The neutral space where other caregivers talk freely under the guidance ofContinue reading “I ♥️ Support Groups”

Remembrances

“Anniversaries” are a jarring reminder, as if I need one, of Burt’s absence. He was not here to celebrate his birthday, my birthday nor New Year’s, certainly not Valentines Day. In fact, in eight days, I will acknowledge the first year since his passing. On what would have been 35 years from the day weContinue reading “Remembrances”

A journal for the journey

Sometimes, when someone reports they liked one of my posts, I go back and reread it. This takes me back to days or events I may have forgotten. I wish I could conjure the sweet incident I described in Call and Response. I am grateful to get to read about it. It was heartening to learn thatContinue reading “A journal for the journey”

FOMO

While listening to the New Yorker‘s in depth story on Willie Nelson, I was moved. Nelson is clearly impressive, not just as a cultural treasure, and as a performer, but also as a human being. There’s a lot I had not known about Willie Nelson. I was not a fan, in the sense of oneContinue reading “FOMO”