Being There

My neighbor called
crying, afraid after
a bad night with her cancer,
no treatments left, far
from home, disheartened,
faced with the transition
that no one can grasp. Not really.
Nothing to do as her friend but be there,
give a hug, listen, listen some more, and
believe in her ability to navigate this
journey.

For the G-Man and the hope for a peaceful weekend. 

Grateful for Annee

 “At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” — Albert Schweitzer




I've had a chance to work again with my good friend, Annee, here at Crossroads. Our careers have criss crossed and thrown us together in three facilities (the other two in California) over the years, oh happy fate. I call her my wise friend because she is and she's generous in sharing her wisdom. I've been the recipient many times and one time she saved my life, you know, the way girl friends can do. I was immobilized with hurt and fear and didn't know what to do next. I called Annee. She said: just show up, pay attention, tell the truth, and let go of the outcome. I thought to myself, I can do that, and that thought gave me hope. I saw the way out and it was simple. I wrote those words down and put them on my refrigerator and read them every day, clung to them as to a life raft, did them as my only requirement. It changed everything of course. It's how friends can change each other's lives.


So, in between our work, we gab and float and luxuriate in time together. Makes my heart happy. And grateful.

London With a Friend

I've been caught up in the whirlwind of traveling and visiting in London (and Windsor) for the first time. And all of that with a long-time friend.  What a grand time we've had. Even though I've lived in Italy for 2 1/2 years and traveled a good deal around Europe, somehow I've not been to London up to now. That's changed as of this last week. The chance to travel here with my husband and meet up with my dear friend, Mary, was too good to pass up.

It started in Windsor in a hotel directly across the street from Windsor Castle. We looked at it from our room. So day one I toured this magnificent place.

The weather was clear and fine and gave me the opportunity to get some great photos of Windsor Castle, which serves as the weekend home to the Queen or her family members, and houses priceless treasures.

The grounds are lush and beautifully kept but my favorite display (no photos allowed inside) was Queen Mary's Doll House. To see all the castle rooms reproduced in such miniature but accurate detail was delightful. I enjoy doll houses anyway so I spent a long time there just amazed at the workmanship.

London was next on my itinerary and we stayed in a hotel by Kensington Gardens and Kensington Palace, past home of Princess Margaret and Princess Diana and future home of her son, Prince William and his new bride, Kate Middleton.

The huge park and gardens were lovely and contained this magnificent tree that I named the tree of life.

Kensington Palace is in the process of a transformation but had an exibit in the meanwhile entitled "Enchanted Palace" consisting of a clever hunt through the shadowy world of the enchanted palace for the names of the seven princesses who have lived at the palace. It included an interactive visitor experience, fanciful pieces of information and displays for each of the princesses, a booklet to write their names, guides galore to give more details about their lives and a prize at the end if you got them all right. Made for a fun afternoon followed by an elegant high tea at the Orangery.

The excitement of a great city of London at night with Christmas coming was everywhere evident. I got some Christmas shopping for the grands done and loved every minute. I can't wait to see their faces when they open their special treats.

Of course, I did some old fashioned sight seeing. How could I not after hearing about and seeing in pictures these iconographic images. I'll just include a couple of night images that I thought came out well.

London theaters had so many choices for shows but not all were both available and affordable. One that was both, was the award winning "Jersey Boys". You have to see this show if you were an adolescent in the 60's. You'll sing along to every song- I sure did. Fabulous songs and a great true-life story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons makes for a incredible musical.

The National Gallery had a photography exhibit on modern actresses and influential women that was stunning but certainly one of the most endearing aspects of this trip was the time with my friend since 1989, Mary. We had time to talk and be together, time to catch up and tell our current stories, time to share and just enjoy each other again. She's a gem and reminded me of the song we sang in Girl Scouts: "Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold". You're pure gold, Mary. I'm so fortunate to call you friend.

Friendship

The whirl and swirl of the Willow Ball are sweet memories now. What a grand time I had, but all the extravagance, all the glamor, gorgeous as it was brought me back to bedrock today. It certainly enhanced friendships and forged new ones and it struck me how important this is, even in a virtual world. But more I thought of the ways that the friendships closest to home shape and sustain us and how vital it is to nurture and be grateful for these, our most precious relationships.

C.S.Lewis said it well:

“It seems no wonder if our ancestors regarded Friendship as something that raised us almost above humanity. This love, free from instinct, free from all duties but those which love has freely assumed, almost wholly free from jealousy, and free without qualification from the need to be needed, is eminently spiritual. It is the sort of love one can imagine between angels.”

                                                                                                              C. S. Lewis




Here's to the angels in my life. Here's to friendship which sustains us. I'm so grateful.

Friendship is The Wine of Life

I just had a reminder of the French saying: "L'amitie est le vin de la vie" which means "Friendship is the wine of life." Last evening, one of my neighbors, who was away, had a burst water pipe spewing water everywhere, including onto their downstair's neighbors' ceilings and walls. They, fortunately, were home and sounded the alarm for the rest of us to come help. So we did.

One neighbor shut off the water to the apartment and called the plumber (on a Sunday evening) who brought a large water vacuum and showed us how to use it. Two neighbors left a birthday party to help vacuum and mop up the water. Three other of us were on the mop and towel brigade to help get up all the standing water. We got the job done together. We've become friends in the almost two years we've lived here in our little apartment complex totaling 15 apartments in 3 buildings. We've shared food, parties and good times together. When an emergency struck, friends helped.

Friendship, like wine, sweetens life.