PRISMS AND POLKA DOTS

Woke up to a white world.....about 5" of snow fell during the night.  

Our dinner party brought three classmates together.  Before diving into our chili bowls, the four of us clasped our hands and prayed together.  Our evening was brimmed with comments of how fortunate we are to still be together....and for all of our individual blessings along the way.

The blonde brownie dessert was dynamite, and I'm here to say that the two of us will have repeat servings this evening, despite the deadly sugar intake.  

Am sipping a Vodka Gimlet, fashioned with vodka, Rosie's Lime Juice, a titch of olive juice and a few pimento stuffed olives.  That, to me, is the ultimate libation.  Leftover chili with all the trimmings will be our supper.

Today we learned of two dear friends, each having recently received a troubling health diagnosis.  We're all in the same age range, which tends for us to circle the wagons of love around them.  When we were young, growing old seemed to be light years ahead of us....so far in the distance that we didn't worry about it.  Well, how frail the youthful mind with regard to the human lifespan.  Here we are.....lined up with all of our beloved friends who have walked beside us.....each one accepting his/her assigned burden.  All we can do is stay together and pray together, not knowing which one of us will be next in line to be tagged "you're it."  I'd lack integrity if I said I wasn't fearful.  I'm fearful of being left alone.....am fearful of being the first of the two of us to go.  Am fearful of the tears, the aloneness.  

There are so many aspects of leaving this world that are scary.  Just like the anticipation before birth.....there is the dread before death.  It isn't the after-life that I fear.  It's the letting go of life, the thought of never seeing the trees change color, the snow fall, a thunder and lightning storm, the full moon, the rising sun.  I mourn the thought of my beloved possessions being dispersed with careless disregard.  All the things that my heart holds dear will need to be relinquished or destroyed.  

This may sound daunting, but this is the way I feel at this moment.   When my friends suffer, my heart feels their pain.  I've said for years that My Creator over-dosed me with empathy.  My life was blessed with the ability to enjoy others' happiness, as well as feel their pain of suffering.  I'm so unable to understand how people can inflict pain on others and not show a shred of remorse.  My soft-heartedness has been the source of intense pain over the course of my lifetime.  Sort of an invisible affliction that the rest of the world was totally unaware of.

Our city is right now displaying fireworks.  The boyfriend sits on the couch, looks out our patio doors, and can watch the fireworks perfectly.  Yup, we sure do count our blessings, the everyday ones that are sprinkled out before us.  

Little Cuddy's t-shirt arrived, and he likes wearing it.  Yesterday I took a picture of him laying in his bed beside his little Christmas tree.  The ornaments in the tree are hand-made by Dale and are made of spoons.  One red cardinal was a gift from our next-door Venny neighbor and the other from Cuddy's other momma.  The shirt Cuddy lays on is his real daddy's t-shirt.  The shirt comes along with Cuddy on each of his stays.  

Yesterday I sent out the G-clan Christmas memo setting out the gift-exchange rules.  The price limit is $5, the gift must start with the second letter of the person's middle name, must be gift-wrapped.  I'll come up with a fun way of deciding which gift each person receives.  

Well, it's time for me to head to the chili bar.  Till the morrow ta-ta.