Tuesday, April 23, 2019

tip toe through the tulips...

i first planted
tulips
at our home...


in south euclid
back in the fall
of nineteen eighty eight
they were beautiful
that first year
the next august
we delivered sarah
she arrived with an unexpected
extra chromosome
and all of a sudden
tulips
took on a new meaning
a few years earlier
a woman named
emily perl kingsley
had written a poem
about the shock
of learning your child has
down syndrome
she likened it to going
on a trip
to holland when you
thought you were
heading to italy
i didn't want to go to
italy or holland
so for a short while
i hated tulips
then something wonderful
happened
i feel madly and deeply
in love with sarah
and tulips too
but as life evolved
so did the deer
that were multiplying
faster than rabbits
in our first ring suburb
they ate all the tulips
every last one
thirty years after first
planting those bulbs
i started over
in a new home
nearer the country
i was hopeful
yet realistic
i could hardly contain
my enthusiasm
when i first
spotted sprouts
early in april
then the buds started to appear
followed by flowers
each morning
there seems to be more
and more
tonight
i took jackson out
with me
the sun was shinning
perfectly
and off in the distance
of the flower patch
you can see
sarah's angel
so appropriately
placed
with the tulips
in our new home
new beginnings
with a healthy dose
of gratitude

Thursday, April 12, 2018

jackson & nicky

our precious puppies. they bring us so much joy we can't imagine life without them.

jackson richard & nicholas james
                 8.29.16       12.25.17

charcoal sketches
by the very talented
rita minamyer

Saturday, June 3, 2017

Friday, November 11, 2016

thirty years











My greatgrandmother's ring. Photos by Martin Lehrman.

Thursday, September 29, 2016

one shoe, two shoe...

orange shoe
blue shoe
not the same...
 
 
...shoe
i suppose it
would not hurt
to look down
before leaving
the house
same shoe
different color
match the bag
perfectly though
it's a pink sand beach design
tuscany tote
one of my favorites
batiks by moda

Sunday, July 31, 2016

it's been awhile...

since i've
posted to
this little blog
 

of mine
mostly because i've
not had a minute to myself
for very good reasons
my sarah girlie
had a booth at the
national down syndrome convention
with her quilts
truly a dream come true
for both of us
last night i finally
had an evening
to turn on the music
and get creative
i had just the perfect
thing to work on
a miniature
it will be going
in the front window
next month
which is really
in two days
time sure does fly
when you're having fun

Saturday, April 23, 2016

purple rain

when the world
looses
an icon...


 we all mourn
 for the man
 the music
 the memories
 the association
 we have
with each song
and the references
 they may bring
 i was watching
 an interview
 last evening
 and an associate
 who once worked
with prince said
some people tell you
 to think outside
the box
 prince
 was never in a box
may we all
 have a bit of that
philosophy
in us going forward
in this thing
called life
 be uninhibited
 be not afraid
be creative

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

a girl can dream...

right?
of a kitchen
in retro
 
 
turquoise
this one's a
show stopper
i just love it
appliances
from the
who knew
the house
in california
just
adorbs
check it out

Monday, March 7, 2016

just because...

he melts
my
 mom heart...


...and every time
he comes home
it seems
he has grown
another inch
still
he'll always be
my baby
youngest son
he oozes
much love
so very grateful

Saturday, February 6, 2016

one happy mama...

it's been a while
since
i've shared...
 
 
...a post about
 my favorite
daughter
it's good
 i suppose
that i have
 just one
that way she
can always be
number one
there was a time
that i questioned
whether we
would ever
share a
love of sewing
not just
because
she would need
to discover the
same infatuation
with fabric
that i have 

 
rather because her
diagnosis
of down syndrome
lead me to believe
she would have
greater challenges
than some
including
 her manual dexterity
for years and years she
had some wonderful
therapists who worked
diligently with her
hour after hour
day after day
 her fingers now work
with the greatest
of precision
her seams are near perfect
her patience
extraordinare

 
today
not only does
she share my love
for quilting
she is also
learning
the fundamentals
of running
a business
it has taken a
very large village to
get us to this
stage in life
for which i am so
 very grateful
for everyone
who has had a place
on this journey
with us
thank you
 

Thursday, December 31, 2015

Sunday, December 13, 2015

a photo worth celebrating...

it's a tradition
photos of the kids
sometimes...


us parent's too
it was easier when
they were young
all under the same roof
then they age
and off they go
to their own worlds
with a wife and a girlfriend
it's hard sometimes
knowing just
how far to push
when to let go
how to stay connected
add in a grudge
 or two
a betrayal
hurtful words
and life gets even
more
 complicated
and at times confusing
this little family
is fractured right now
heartbreaking
yet necessary
with time comes healing
maturity
perspective
and hopefully
 new found energy
to move forward
to create new beginnings
thankful for the
happy times
such as this picture
taken on sister's birthday
for those memories
keep your heart
beating

Monday, November 16, 2015

je m' appelle joice

it has been
a long
long time...
 

since i studied french
so long
that i barely
remember
most words
of the beautiful language
still
like many
my heart fills
with just the mention
of the eiffel tower
the streets of paris
so when word
first
starting spreading
that terrorists
had struck
the city of love
it was hard to
believe
as more details
surfaced
there is no denying
the world is
changing
and for that
i feel helpless
and afraid
scared for my
loved ones
yet we can't let fear
dictate
our every move
so i did what i know best
i took
 to my sewing machine...

 
...creating a circle
using fabric
purple of course
with eiffel towers
to form a dresden
or friendship circle
for in my world
if we all just started
loving a little more
hated a little less
just imagine
the difference
we could make

Sunday, May 10, 2015

a different kind of mother's day...

i've learned over
the years
that life is full...
.

...of unpredictable moments
your day to day
existence
can be humming along
and then
out of nowhere a
situation presents
that hits you
upside the head
 like a two by four
as i sat across
the table
from my son and his wife
the words stung
like alcohol to
a freshly opened wound
my tears feel freely
not just for me
but for my mother
it took me back
to a place
earlier in my life
where i too
said many unkind things
and for the first time
i was sitting in her seat
i read once
that every child
grows to hate their mother
and you will know when they
have matured
by the day
they learn to accept and love
her for who she is
no longer will you see
her short comings
rather you will
appreciate her care
her support
her love
for me
it took a while
to almost fifty five really
the greatest blessing
now
is the opportunity
 to observe my momma
with my princess of a girl
the two have become
best buds
for that i am most grateful
as i recognize
not every adult child
is given this
second chance
with their
mother still on earth
yet we know
those days are coming to a close
soon
my mother is dying
she has terminal cancer
it is slowly yet
surely taking away her
health
her good days
are becoming less and less
what would i change
not a thing i suppose
for our trials and triumphs
have shaped me into
who i am today
a very grateful daughter
who has the ability to
turn the bad into the good
the pain into a
promise
for a better tomorrow
no doubt
sad
yet brutifully abundant
with rich blessings
motherhood i've learned
is a journey
not a sprint
rather more like a
 marathon
that has not yet been run
because
we're always
in training

Sunday, March 22, 2015

sweet child of mine...

my baby
the third born
always...


...always, always
keeps me on my toes
his little antics
are never too bold
just enough to
have me scratching
my head
wondering what i could
do different
perhaps better
as a parent
he has a heart of
pure gold
though
a work ethic
like none other
at eighteen
he busses tables
at a country club
hard grunt work
last night
he came home
with flowers
for me
just because
they are
purple
and he knew
i'd love them
which i do
i love him
even more

Sunday, March 1, 2015