my dad

me and my dad, and yellow roses, Palo Alto, Waverly Street

I had such a sweet visit with my parents in April.  One day, just dad and I went to Stanford campus to see the football trophies. They were closed for renovations but Dad didn't complain. Before we arrived we went out for lunch at a little restaurant and had sandwiches. There Dad told me about his life a a young man, elections he voted in, his first office job and how he quit after in addition to his office duties, they made him load dirty bags of cement but still wear a nice shirt and tie. He was ruining his nice clothes. Enough was enough.

I loved this special time with him.

My father is one of the sweetest, most unassuming, humble and loving men I have known. He is sentimental yet strong. I am very aware of how lucky I am to have this kind of person as the first man I have loved. It set the bar high when I went searching for a husband, and in my expectations of myself and others of what it means to have integrity.

My dad knows how to face life with confidence, faith, and most importantly, a positive attitude. He doesn't worry much. He always told us, "The Lord will provide." It's not that he didn't work hard or expect things to be handed to him. But there has always been this underlying faith in Divine goodness that has permeated his perspective, and I have to agree with him. We are all so blessed. And blessings keep happening, every day.

My father knows how to laugh. He is always smiling and generally a light hearted person. He makes jokes constantly. It's so nice to be in the company of a person like this. It is a reminder to not take things too seriously and sweat the small stuff. And when it is said and done, most things are the small stuff.

My father is helpful and always doing things for others, whether it's spreading mulch, loading the dishwasher just right (he was an engineer), or giving good advice.

My dad loves all things Notre Dame, especially their football team and its rich history. Notre Dame is sports and heart and holiness all rolled up into one magical thing. I went to Saint Mary's College, which is across the street for ND. Still now, when I listen to the Notre Dame glee club sing the alma mater or the fight song, I have to admit I get a little teary.

My father was a Marine and he is very brave. He has always been very brave and strong, physically and mentally. When I was young he played basketball with us and he taught me to pitch a hardball. I wanted to try out for the boys baseball league like my older brother, but my mom wouldn't let me, so I settled for softball and became a good pitcher for two consecutive teams that I played on for several years. At eighty-four, Dad still walks regularly, and he keeps a steady pace.  Look out world.

The older I get the more I appreciate my dad. He is one of my most favorite people, ever. How did I ever get so lucky to be blessed with this amazing man for a father? Angels were smiling down upon me the day I was born, that's for sure.

Happy Father's Day Dad! Love you so much.

Love,
Treebear  

my mom

Happy Mother's Day Mom.

The older I get, the more I am convinced that I was given the best mother on this beautiful earth.

It's hard to put it into words why this is so. Some of it is contrast, to stories I've heard over the years of other people's struggles with their mothers, mothers-in-law, or grandmothers. Somehow my mom shines in all roles she plays.  My mother is a loyal, loving, trustworthy, giving, noncompetitive, funny and incredibly gracious friend to all. She worked as a third grade teacher for many years, but now substitutes in a school for kids with learning differences, and is particularly known for her skill with hard edged teens. I'm not surprised.  She always knows what to say, and what not to say. She is the person my kids ask to take walks with. She is a stellar human being, and I only hope to be like her when I grow up.

My dad is just as highly ranked, but that will be said in another blog post.

Mom and Dad bring out the best in each other. They recently visited us in California, making the big trip from New York state. They spent ten days with us and those were some of the best ten days of my life. Mom and Dad were so much fun. They brought levity, humor, laughter, smiles, caring, and love to our family at the perfect time. We have been living in transition this year, we have been in four houses since we arrived in California, and it has been a tad chaotic. Having Mom and Dad here was the first time I felt at home here. Everyone was on their best behavior, which was really nice. Mom and Dad came and stayed in our rental with one bathroom, and never once was these a demand or complaint. In fact they did the dishes and cleaned up after pretty much every meal, were so appreciative of my cooking, and were content to do whatever was happening that day in our busy lives. Still we had time for lots of visiting, telling stories, sharing memories, and having fun. We went to a Giants game in San Francisco, visited Sky's college campus, watched Shawn's volleyball game, went grocery shopping and out to lunch, road tripped to a retreat center, visited Stanford campus, listened to Annabel describe her science fair research (none of us had any idea what she was saying, but we tried to follow), watched the kids play music (we have drums here), and enjoyed lots of home cooked meals.

It is said that children learn by example. I cannot think of a better example of a beautiful human being than my mom. I am beyond blessed to have her in my life.

I love you so much Mom!!

shawn is thirteen!!

Shawnie this has been quite a year. You have grown so much. You have shown us your quiet and sometimes not so quiet strength. You have weathered a move and you have done really well with many changes. You have tried a new sport, taken a theater class (you're pretty funny!), learned about friendships and relationships and math and science. You continue to be an incredible blessing to our entire family and we all love you so much.

I am so blessed to be your mother.

Welcome to the teenage years Shawn. Here we go!

for my children~perspective

It's good to try something new. It brings perspective. That's what we learned this past year. Many people have commented about how flexible our kids are. That's for sure. They can set up camp anywhere. Since July of last year we have lived in four different homes as we needed to move several times. Each place served a purpose and we got a lot out of being in California.

My parents are visiting us now in Palo Alto and it has been wonderful having them here. Photos of that time to come soon.

What I have learned is the following. Things always work out for the best. But not always what we think is the best. We can't always know for sure. Sometimes it's best to sit back silently and watch as life events unfold. Patience is key.

And mostly, love and family are the most important things in life.

We are all very, very blessed.  All of us.

Amen.

shawnie's year

Shawn, we plopped you into a new town, a new school, a new house, new everything. You sailed right in. We will all look back on your seventh grade year as the year you grew up a lot. You started the summer before school attending your first sleepaway camp, which you loved. There you met your first girlfriend. Once school started you quickly made new friends, met another girlfriend, and got your first cell phone. This led to more independence after school, playing basketball, walking to friends' houses and the Sweet Shop. You continued your study of drums and piano, you tried a new sport, you did a theater class, you made lots of awesome omelettes, you played lots of basketball with Zach (bye Felicia) and you took media studies and learned to act and film. We took a couple trips to the MA Center and you met more friends there and learned about gardening, worm composting and played a bunch of basketball. Overall, a good year.

california memories

There were some nice memories when we were living in the countryside on the outskirts of the technology capitol of the world. 

It's always good to have a new perspective. We met so many brilliant scientists, computer whizzes, and doctors, mostly affiliated with Stanford. The people in the neighborhood were friendly and welcoming. The kids jumped into their new lives feet first and did really well in much bigger schools. Shawn went to a school dance and dressed up. Annabel played her music live many times at her school, in the local community center, and for local television. We went to watch her and cheer her on, although she didn't need it. Both kids studied theater and challenged themselves thoroughly in school with some classes not offered in their schools from home. We celebrated Thanksgiving with our dear friend Terri; we have known her for over twenty years.

Sky took her "gap year" and was working on figuring out her next step, and she made a lot of art, and got some much deserved down time after a busy senior year.

I loved the countryside. I loved the trees and the woods and the walks in the neighborhoods that easily led to nature. The nature was the best part for me. Driving home an extra few minutes was worth it to me, just to take in the green around me.