Monday, January 30, 2012

weekend "vacay"


CC recently mentioned that she would
like our family to take some mini vacations.
She said that we could call it
"weekend vacay"
and that it would be like a 
"preview"
of a real vacation.

Along those lines,
we took the kids to 
Atlanta
this weekend.

Lyons had received tickets
to see his favorite comedian,
and 
we decided to make a 
"weekend vacay"
out of it.  

John and CC
would join us.
They would see
and
we'd stay at
The Omni Hotel.

Sometimes...
I just forget ~
what an amazing city
Atlanta is.

We checked into the hotel
and stepped out on our balcony 
overlooking 
Centennial Olympic Park.


The cityscape
was breathtaking.


I felt like I was a million miles from home.


We shopped at Lenox,
dined at Dantanna's,
and toured the CNN Center.


Dunham was hysterical.
Lyons & I laughed and laughed.
(Which, for the record,
is waaay better
than yelling about homework.)


John & Carolyn
looooved 
Cavalia.
John said it was the best production
he has ever seen 
of any kind.

gyantunplugged.com

When we returned to our room that evening,
the sight from our balcony
was even more dazzling.


It may have been only 24 hours, 
but a
"weekend vacay"
turned out to be
just what
this family needed.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

putting it in perspective

Having an eleven year old daughter
has led to many talks
about friendship
and 
"heart" friends
- those friends whom
 no matter
what time or circumstances have passed
remain closest to your heart.

This afternoon,
as CC and I left home for a walk,
I received a text.

It said:
'Hi!
Can you come over?
With a bottle of wine.
White.
Not too heavy oaked.
Chilled.'

We immediately turned around.  

One of my "heart" friends
is facing round 2 
against breast cancer.

Everything we had planned
for the afternoon and evening
changed at that moment.

We turned around,
packed up,
and headed over to my friend's.

I cannot describe 
the time we shared
or
how wonderful it was to 
see her 
and to talk.

Everything that had been important
earlier in the day
washed away
and 
what became clear
were moments
friendship
family
love.

I hope she kicks cancer's ass.



Tuesday, January 10, 2012

the bench

While we were in New York
over Christmas,
we visited
Ground Zero.


It was so different 
than on my first trip
ten years ago.

At that time,
the ruins were still 
smoldering.

Now,
the footprints
are "Reflecting Absence."
The absence of so many lives
lost.
Fathers, brothers, sons.
Sisters, mothers, daughters.

Each life a gaping 
hole in the lives of those
who loved them...

And love them still.


I wanted my children
to see this place


because
they will grow up in a very different
America
than the one I once knew.

While waiting on our appointed time,
we visited the 9-11 Museum.
Carolyn saw me perusing a book
and surprised me with it
for Christmas.


I read it in one day.

Of course,
books lead to 
books...
so I downloaded 


AND THERE HE WAS...


Since moving to Sag Harbor ~
day after day,
 as often as possible,
I walk at Long Beach.


And each time I walk the mile
end to end,
I read the inscriptions
on the benches.

For some reason,
Steve Cherry's bench
(dated 9/11)
has always 
magnetically
held my attention.

I once googled him 
and found that he was a father
of four boys
and a devoted husband.


I had often thought of how unfair it had been 
that he
went work one day
and never came home.

Yet - there he was!
In my book!
I finally found out 
what had happened to 
this person I had thought about
so many times.

His story has been written down
for posterity.

And I prayed:
May God still be with his family.
May All the stories of 9/11
remain in our hearts
and souls.
May every story be told
and every life remembered.
May something like this
never ever
happen again.
May we be forever thankful
for the soldiers
who protect our rights 
and our freedoms.
And
 May God Bless 
the 
USA.








Monday, January 2, 2012

a day at the beach


One day last week,
we went to the beach
in East Hampton.


We didn't spend winter's days 
at the beach
when we lived in the Hamptons full time.






What on earth 
could we have been thinking?