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Picture taken by my friend Cyndi Leos....thank you Cyndi.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Short Break....

My Father passed away this past Sunday, peacefully in his sleep.  He has been in a nursing home for the past four years with Alzheimer's.. He would have been 93 in November.  He was a War Hero and a wonderful Father.

A family friend and fellow Marine wrote an incredible tribute to Dad and I re-posted it on my my other blog.  

I will be taking a break for a few weeks.  I will be traveling to California to be with my family and spend some time with my Mom.

Thank you so much for the kind emails I have already received...

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Power Jam: Super Hero...

This is an older picture of my Mom, who is now 86 years old and myself.  I was probably in my late fifties in the photo, I am now 66.

This Poetry Jam challenge, hosted by Brian Miller (his blog WaystionOne), is to write about Super Heroes.


My Mom is my Super Hero.

She dared to go where she had never been
and sailed way past her comfort zones
She married young, totally unprepared,
during WW II
She learned "on the fly" how to be a Military wife,
to cook and become a Mother

an only child, she had seven of her own
She suffered the death of one of her sons
only 48 hours after his birth

She led by example and strong beliefs
yet always willing to listen and discuss anything
encouraging us to have our own opinions
we are very much alike emotionally
so we butted our stubborn, hard heads a lot

each of us always knew
she was there for us
She may not have been able to solve 
our problems, but she was in our corner
offering suggestions and supporting us

She taught me to be my own person
She taught me to listen to my gut
She taught me not to do anything
I would not want seen 
on the front page of a newspaper

being hard headed
I still pushed the envelope
and made my mistakes
yet I always knew she was there
if nothing more than
reminding me... it was a good life lesson.

She taught me to stand up 
for what is right
and for what is wrong
often we had differences 
of opinions-- but we could talk about it
and agree to disagree

She taught me to love my country
to be proud of our heritage
to do for others so I would not
dwell on myself

She demonstrated the importance
of keeping one's word
showing up on time,
with the commitment to finish what we started
She did not miss work
and worked so hard she would
fall asleep in the chair with her purse on her lap
taking a "cat nap" before cooking dinner

She wants to learn and be informed
She reads the complete newspaper
and does crossword puzzles in ten minutes flat
She knows her way around a computer, iPad
and smart phone.
She has faced the majority of her fears
but has not yet learned how to swim

while still raising school age children
she took a job when Dad did not earn enough
She could budget, save and stretch money 
teaching us always to meet our
responsibilities first, which
gave us time to decide
 how important
something really was
that we thought we wanted

today she celebrates 68 years of marriage
Dad has been in a nursing home
for the past four years
prior to his admission
she was his caregiver for over ten years
and earning a living for both of them

She just retired three years ago
working to the age of 83
She still lives in the two story home
where we were raised
She is still independent

She rarely calls for help
She does not interfere
and gives her love and wisdom
honestly without expectations

Super Heroes sound good
look good
depend on TV and movies--
I'll take the real,
human
dependable type...

She's my Mom
my friend
I love her
respect her
and am so proud to be
her Daughter

`©dkb




Saturday, August 3, 2013

Cookin' Up Something Good...

"Writing is what we make from the broth of our experience..."

-- Julia Cameron from The Writer's Life Insights from the RIGHT to WRITE.

Friday, August 2, 2013

The Learning Years....

" There are years that ask questions and years that answer..."

-- Zora Neale Hurston

Thursday, August 1, 2013

On Feeling "Uncreative"...

"One must also accept that one has "uncreative" moments.  The more honestly one can accept that, the quicker these moments will pass.  One must have the courage to call a halt, to feel empty and discouraged."

-- Etty Hillesum


Hellish heat permeates the barrage of depressing news
Days of drilling within
Tapping into nuggets of creativity
Restoring the sadness of soul

Some days there is nothing
Courage is required of patience
Drawing upon inner faith of self
Remembering the source of Perfection

Like smooth, quiet waters bring calm
Be the calm
Be the quiet
Gather the peace
Be ready for the big wave of inspiration

~©dkb