It was a lovely Christmas morning. Me, my SisterDears and brothers were joyfully opening our gifts. Later in the day we were having a large family gathering, my favorite kind of Christmas! Nana Gert, Auntie Jeanne and her family were coming to have Christmas dinner with us. I had crocheted a peach-colored scarf and hat for Nana and I couldn’t wait for her to open it!! It was going to be a most wonderful Christmas Day!
I had just opened a gift. It was a brand new 45 that I’d been wanting so badly, Precious and Few by Climax.
The phone rang and MotherDear answered. I heard the most mournful sound come from her mouth. Nana Gert had died during the night at Auntie Jeanne’s. She had fallen asleep in the rocking chair, knitting a last minute gift for somebody. The doctor said she had likely fallen asleep and had a stroke during the night. She never knew anything.
The rest of that day is just a blur, the only other thing I remember from that day is that I went downstairs to the basement and spent the entire day and long into the night crying my heart out. I played that 45 over and over and over again. I literally wore it out, remembering my Nana and missing her so badly it was physically painful.
It was the first time in my life that I realized that I had to treasure each moment with somebody who I love. From that moment, I am always mindful that it might be my last opportunity to share time with them. Because none of ever knows when the last moment in time may come.
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Visit here if you’d like to do your own Message in a Bottle, you do not have to be tagged. I chose to combine mine with a post because Nana Gert was my inspiration for my Message.
The Bipolar Express just ran through town again. You know how it feels when you’re standing on the train platform and an express train whooshes past the platform?
My bipolar niece is like that. She sucks the air right out of the room. She sent an email during the night denouncing the Aunts as relatives, accusing us once more of being biased and uninformed self-proclaimed experts who know nothing about anything. She is angry and offended. Again.
She still refuses to consider going back on her meds, ever defiant.
Her mother, me and the other SisterDears are weary of the fight. So we catch our breath and gather strength from one another while we wait, for the next time.
I love Gatherings. I love to gather together all the people I love into one place, at the same time. Any excuse that I can get everyone to rally behind will do!
So often we often hear the phrase “Small World”. Well I certainly don’t think so, at least not in the ways that really matter. Just try and plan a Gathering! We’re scattered up and down the east coast. Schedules make it nearly impossible to gather: work, social, school, sports, dance… Busy, Busy, Busy we are!
The SisterDears and I are trying to plan our first annual “Once a Year, Everyone’s Here” Day for next July when my parents and I travel back to New England. The logistics are quite challenging! We want everyone from all 4 generations to gather. I’d also like as many cousins to show up as would like with their families. We want a new Family Photograph. Perhaps a Burgers & Hot Dogs family picnic. It will be magnificent if we can pull it off!
Happy OY, EH Day! I hope the holiday that I insisted upon will become every family’s favorite! So go ahead, start planning yours! Best Wishes for 100% turnout. Please let me know when you post about it! I’ll certainly be posting about ours!
Thank Goodness, my boys’ schedule always permits plenty of time for me!
P.S. - I so want the necklace in the banner that the ImageChef made for me!
If you like my idea of 100% Family Reunion Participation Vote here!
Are you still here? Leave me some Comment Love & get outa here. Go start Planning your first OY EH Day!
SisterDear2 - She is so amazing! SD2 did day care for 18 years or so while she raised her 2 boys. She was so great at it that her waiting list was a couple of years out. SD2 just graduated from Nursing School. She is now an RN! She just turned 51 before she graduated from college! You go girl!
SisterDear3 - She is so inspiring! SD3 is wife to a cop and mother to 4 children. She has a daughter in college who happens to have Bipolar Disorder, a teenage son and twin 8 year old sons, one of whom is Autistic (PDD/NOS). She faces each day with faith, love, humor and grace. She finally got her son placed in what we hope will be a good fit for him. She is anxiously looking forward to re-joining the work force soon! She so needs to reacquaint herself with grown-up conversations again!
SisterDear4 - She is so incredible! SD4 has literally reinvented herself in the last 5 years since her divorce. She has a teenage son and a preteen daughter. She remodeled her entire home in the past couple of years. She can do it all! Bringing home the bacon, gardening, repairs, painting… She doesn’t always want to do it all, but she can and does.
My Cats - I can’t imagine my life anymore without my cats. I’ve always had dogs (Pekingese). I had just lost one little lovey and was in the final month of my other sweet puppy’s life when my cats found me. They totally rescued me.
My Business - Had someone told me 25 years ago that I would be self-employed I’d have told them they were nuts! I opened my first business (with a partner) in 1987. Since that day there hasn’t been a day that I did not look forward to going in to the Office. I look forward to Mondays - Go figure!
My Parents- I never expected to have my parents living with me. However, when I sold my first business and was looking for a house to buy in Georgia I asked them if they would also like to move with me. I was their only child (of eight!) living in Florida and I felt horrible about leaving them there, childless! They accepted and moved in with me and the Boys just about 2 years ago. I’m amazed at some of the stories my Dad tells me that I might never ever have heard unless they moved in with me. My Dad has a phenomenal memory that goes back to grade school. My Dad is 79! MotherDear is Queen of the Kitchen! She is my all-time favorite cook! Dinner is ready and on the table every night when I get home from work (even if I don’t feel like sitting down to dinner when I get home). This is just the coolest thing! I could go on and on about my parents. It’s been awesome having them here!
Health - I have not had any major health issues in the 14 years since my divorce. Coincidence? No, I don’t think so.
My Home - I joke quite a bit about hating the Yellow House. It had been painted just before the sellers put it on the market. Let me just say that Yellow is not my favorite color! I bought it in spite of the Yellow. But I am loving this house! I actually gave the Realtor a wish list with “Deal-Breakers” and stuck to it. I got everything on my list! How cool is that?
Family- There’s a couple of doosies in the basket, but mostly I have the most wonderful family anyone could ever wish for and we have such a great time together.
Friends - I have been blessed with some of the most amazing friends. Most I call family because they feel like family.
Wine - I am grateful to have discovered my affection for wine! Wine is an adventure for me while at the same time an old familiar friend.
My Walk-in Closet - My previous house was an adorable Cottage. I loved it. I absolutely hated to leave it. Cried my eyes out. I miss it. But I had NO closet!
God - I was brought up in the Catholic Church but somehow missed God completely. I found God and was saved when I was about 38 years old!
I have convinced my lovely SisterDear3 to be a Guest Contributor to the WillThink4Wine blog.
Just let me tell you just a little bit about her. Basically, she is every psychiatrist’s dream! Her immediate family (1 hubby, 1 mother-in-law and 4 children) collectively have practically every mental health diagnosis on the planet, and few that perhaps don’t yet have a label. It is never dull at her house.
She sails through each day, replete with turbulent mood swings and various psychoses, with more love, patience, faith and grace than any one person should be blessed with. Mostly, I believe it’s her sense of humor that usually carries her through.
I hope you will enjoy her occasional posts. She cracks me up. Pardon the pun.
She also likes wine and is much too busy to be bothered with hitting the Enter key.
What’s this? SisterDear 2 picks up the harmonica!
BIL joined in (perhaps better known to you as Enrico Suave, Cabana Boy).
Think ‘Billy Joel’. Think ‘Piano Man’. Think ‘Bottle of Red, Bottle of White’.
Think ‘Billy Joel’. Think ‘Piano Man’. Think ‘Bottle of Red, Bottle of White’.
The very best job I could ever imagine is one that would pay me to think… and the currency would be wine!
