As The Mist Leaves No Scar

AS THE MIST LEAVES NO SCAR

As the mist leaves no scar
On the dark green hill,
So my body leaves no scar
On you, nor ever will.

When wind and hawk encounter,
What remains to keep?
So you and I encounter,
Then turn, then fall to sleep.

As many nights endure
Without a moon or star,
So will we endure
When one is gone and far.
-Leonard Cohen

It's a feel good song!

Once in a while, a song comes along that just makes you smile.  I happen to love this song and thought I'd share it with my blog stalkers.  (It's a feel good song!)

Javier Colon "As Long As We Got Love"

Priceless

Those who know me, know that every year around Memorial Day I make the annual trek down to Ypsilanti to spruce up the cemetery plots where my grandparents and parents are buried.  I've been doing this since I was little child with my mother; since my parents passed away its been with my brother Terry.  We agreed to let my sister Peggy in about 8 years ago.  This year, we extended the fun to include my older brother Ron and older sister Pat. 

This isn't a solemn event.   We go down to trim up the trees, edge around the head and foot stones and plant flowers.  We also take the time to remember our heritage and to take a trip down memory lane.  Last night was no exception.  It was nice to be there with my siblings (four out five were there; Judy, we missed you!).

  That's my sister Pat supervising my brother Ron (and wife Pearl) on flower placement.

 This is the whole crew surveying the situation deciding what needs to be done.

  And Blaine Joseph got in to the act by helping me clean up around my grandparents headstone

And this is my parents plot.  If you will notice, that is a beer can sitting atop the headstone.   It is appropriate, as my parents wouldn't have it any other way.  You're not a Schulz if you don't drink a beer when you work!

Pat brought some of Judy and Duane's homemade wine.  When the job was finished, we toasted our parents and to family.  I'm pretty sure that Mom and Dad were smiling at that very moment.

Did the night end at the cemetery?  Hell no!  LOL

We took the river road and made our way to Montpelier and the Dally Up Bar for some burgers and beer!

Laughter, a few tears, and a whole lot of love!

It was a priceless evening and one that will be stored in the memory banks forever.

Driven

Recently I've been struggling with my running program.  My body is strong but my lungs are weak.  Or maybe it's my drive, will, determination, focus, inspiration that are weak.

I have a few people in my life that amaze me on a daily basis. 

My nieces Joan and Karen are two of those people.  They've been driven to succeed at a very early age.

Karen has a double Masters in Chemistry (don't ask me anything more than that) and is working on her Doctorate.  She spends countless hours in the lab working on her thesis project.  Some days her work fails, some days it shows no results, and some days she has success.  Whatever happens, she moves steadily forward towards her goal...finishing.  Driven.

Joan has her  Ph.D in Cancer Biology and recently completed the final phase of her Ph.D/MD program by graduating from U of Minnesota Medical School.  (In 8 years).    She and her husband Matt leave for Chapel Hill, NC to start the next chapter of her (their) life - residency in Internal Medicine with a Fellowship in Hematology.  When I asked her how long that would take, she said 6-8 years, to which someone replied, "Knowing Joan, she'll finish in 5".  Driven.

I have a friend  who just ran  his second marathon (26.2 miles).  Last year he finished in 5:34.  His goal was to shave an hour off his time and run it in 4:30.  At the half-marathon point (13.1 miles), he was on pace with his time.  For whatever reason, he fell off his pace at mile 14 and lost his focus.  He struggled that last half of the race and ended up walking a majority of it.  He said that he wanted to quit (and almost did), but he kept on going. He did finish, in a time of 5:45. When I asked him what kept him going, he said, "I honestly don't know."  It doesn't matter to me (although it does to him).  The point here is that he kept going!   Driven.

What drives a person to continue a marathon when their goal has been shattered?  What kind of determination makes a med student finish a Ph.D/MD program in 8 years or to have a double Masters and work towards a Doctorate?

What makes people so driven?  What personality trait do they possess that makes them continue on despite the disappointments along the way?  Is it the personal goal to succeed? The stubbornness of showing people that it can be done regardless of what anyone thinks? Are they born with it or do they want to have something soooo bad that they'll stop at nothing to get it? 

You can have anything you want if you want it desperately enough. You must want it with an exuberance that erupts through the skin and joins the energy that created the world. ~Sheila Graham

Whatever inspires them is of no matter to me, I guess.  What does matter is that They inspire me   every day.  And maybe with that inspiration, perhaps I'll find my drive and will to succeed!

Namaste'

Sherry

Dont Give Up!

Most great people have attained their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure. ~ Napoleon Hill

Adversity

Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit ~ Napoleon Hill

Message to my Mom

Today is Mother's Day. 

 I woke up feeling blue and sad; I cried tears before a foot even touched the ground. 

 My thoughts were of you.

I miss you.

I should have been taking you out for lunch and honoring you with giftsor card with cheerful words, but instead my tears flowed like a river down my face.  

I miss you.

You were my rock.  You loved me unconventionally.  You dried my tears,

 hugged the sorrow away, and tended my wounds.

I miss you.

You listened when no one would.  You helped ease the pain in my darkest hours. 

I miss you.

You laughed at my silly jokes, made sure that I was fed and clothed, and loved on a daily basis.

I miss you.

You didn't care that I was a loner, you encouraged me to be who I am, for no one but myself.

  You taught me that it was OK to "just be me."

I miss you.

You were the one voice person in the world who knew what I was feeling

 just by hearing my "hello."  You knew how to dig in to my soul and ease the pain,

 just by holding me and whispering "it will be OK". 

I miss you.

I miss your your laughter, your touch, the way you played ragtime piano so hard the pictures fell off.  I miss your fried chicken, your love of flowers, the twinkle in your eye at an joke,

 and they way loved to love to eat watermelon

 when it was forbidden (when you were on dialysis).

I miss you.

You've been gone from this earth for 18 years.  But you live on inside me. 

 I will never be half the woman you were Mom.  You live on in my heart, my mind, and my soul.

I miss you. 

I love you.

Two Sides

I follow my joy and my heartbreak simultaneously because they’re two sides of the same coin. ~ Steve Pavlina -

Sick Day

Yes, that nasty cold that had me in a funk yesterday took a turn for the worst last night during yoga classes.  I was so doped up on cold medicine yesterday tha I was almost comatose.  Why I thought I could effectively teach two yoga classes is beyond me.   I did teach, albeit not very effectively.  (Well, I shouldn't say that.  I did a lot more guided relaxation than I normally do and the students seemed to have enjoyed that).  

I went home and straight to bed after downing some Nyquil.  That stuff does some funky things to me.  It's like I was asleep but not really asleep...know what I mean?  And the dreams I had?!  Oh my gosh!   Needless to say, when the alarm went off at 4:45 this morning, there was no way in H#$% that I was going in to work.   So I took only my second sick day in a 12 month period.  The first was for a migraine headache last fall. 

Between naps and being bored out of my mind (yes, I said "Bored"), I cleaned up my business emails, deleted old emails and categorized my in box.  I updated my yoga blog with a cute story and now I'm sitting here typing out some thoughts about being sick.  For the record....it sucks!