The Fairy Tale Wedding Of Sandi and Stefan

My lovely friend Sandi had a picture perfect, every little girl's dream, fairy tale wedding to her handsome Prince and oh so charming Stefan. He even has the name of a handsome Romance novel admirer. And they rode off in a Rolls Royce and lived happily ever after! The wedding was held at Crewe Hall a Jacobean mansion located near Crewe Green, east of Crewe, in Cheshire, England. Their amazing suite was frequented by King George the Sixth.

Rhymes and Reasons - Remembering The Events Of Tragic Day 09/11/2001

I find it rather uncanny that John Denver wrote this song over 32 years prior to the tragic events that unfolded on 09/11/2001. The last four lines of the fourth verse just give me the chills!  "Though the cities start to crumble and the towers fall around us, the sun is slowing fading and its colder than the sea." This great man, consummate entertainer,  and insightful song writer passed away four years prior to that heart-wrenching day.  So many of his songs speak volumes about the political, and social issues that plague our country and the world.  It is my opinion that this man was more than an entertainer or even a social and environmental activist, he was a prophet.  "Though the singer is silent, there still is the truth of the song."(line from On The Wings Of A Dream John Denver)

Rhymes & Reasons

So you speak to me of sadness
And the coming of the winter
Fear that is within you now
It seems to never end
And the dreams that have escaped you
And the hope that you've forgotten
You tell me that you need me now
You want to be my friend

And you wonder where we're going
Where's the rhyme and where's the reason
And it's you cannot accept
It is here we must begin
To seek the wisdom of the children
And the graceful way of flowers in the wind

For the children and the flowers
Are my sisters and my brothers
Their laughter and their loveliness
Would clear a cloudy day

Like the music of the mountains
And the colors of the rainbow
They're a promise of the future
And a blessing for today
Though the cities start to crumble
And the towers fall around us
The sun is slowly fading
And it's colder than the sea

It is written from the desert
To the mountains they shall lead us
By the hand and by the heart
They will comfort you and me
In their innocence and trusting
They will teach us to be free

For the children and the flowers
Are my sisters and my brothers
Their laughter and their loveliness
Would clear a cloudy day

And the song that I am singing
Is a prayer to non believers
Come and stand beside us
We can find a better way

Words and music by John Denver

Happy Birthday in Heaven Little Buddies!

A much cherished friend from Alpha, NJ,  Betty Tersigni- Hammerstone created this lovely memorial for my Buddy.

It has been almost four months since the neighbor's huskies had taken our beloved Manilow from us.  I still feel his presence at times.  Just this past Wednesday when bringing groceries in from the car, my first thought was to be sure he wasn't there by the door trying to sneak out.  We didn't allow him to run.  Since he was almost 17 and no longer wanted to go far from the porch we would occasionally allow him to go on the front porch.   He would lie on one of the chairs in the sun.  A few days before his last day on earth I was petting him while he was sitting next to me on the porch.  I was telling him how the sun was good for him, and how I just knew that he would make it to his 17th birthday in September.  He was eating like a horse, no problems with bowel or bladder functions, and still very playful with his catnip mouse.    

Every night he would sit outside the tub while I took a shower patiently waiting for me to give him his night time snack, then he would hop up into the bed and lie down next to me when I would sing him his three favorite songs, Rod McKuen's Every Loner, Barry Manilow's Can't Smile Without You, and the finale was always My Buddy. Those first several weeks I couldn't go to bed at night without feeling as though something was wrong, something was missing, and then I would think of my Buddy and how sad and empty life felt without him. I often thought that I heard him jump down from furniture, or his footsteps on the kitchen floor.

I suppose we never realize how much of a void those furry babies fill until they are no longer there to do so.  I have two loving, caring daughters that have given six wonderful, doting, and loving grandchildren, and I don't mean to convey that there is some empty spot in a daily existence.  They certainly make my life joyful and fulfilling.  It is those last few hours before bedtime, or the first few in the early morning that Manilow gave so much purpose, and loving attention to the humans he owned. 

Many times I would walk into the living room to see Manilow curled up on Roger's chest. He kept him company when I was out gallivanting with the girls. Roger also spent much time with Manilow on the front porch.  Very often I would hear him out there talking to him.  We both have had those dreams where he is still with us, and mourn him as though he was a very close member of the family, because he was.

    

Roger was here with him the day the huskies got him.  He had just finished cutting the grass, and as he came in the door Manilow wanted to go out.  He let him out, and he jumped right up on the patio chair on the porch.  He said he checked on him often and he was just there asleep on the porch.  He was in the kitchen, just one room away when he heard a commotion on the porch.  By the time  he had gotten to the porch the chair was knocked over, and the two dogs, one male, one female had him, one pulling in one direction and the other pulling him in the opposite direction. He tried to get him from them and the male knocked this six foot three inch man to the ground, and bit his hand and fore arm.  The female ran into the neighbor's yard with Manilow still in her mouth.  By this time the owner who lived two doors down had arrived and managed to get Manilow free.  He was still alive.  

The owner of the huskies took Manilow and Roger on a journey to find a vet who was still open on a late Saturday afternoon, and used his cell phone to inquire.  They had to drive approximately thirty miles away to Shillington before they found one who was open.  Manilow lived throughout the ride.  The vet said he had broken ribs, punctured lung, and three broken legs.  He recommended euthanasia  especially because of his age.

Roger brought him home and buried him immediately in the back yard.  I didn't even get the chance to say good bye. His mom Speckles, and brother Junior are both buried in my daughter Jamiann's flower garden, and I wanted him to be with them.  The next morning Jennifer dug him up, I held him in my arms wrapped in a towel, cried, and sang My Buddy one last time.  We then put him in a small tote and took him to be buried next to his family.  

A few days later Roger's hand and arm had swollen with infection.  I took him to the hospital and they did an x-ray on his arm, and gave him a tetanus shot.  He had to lie there for about an hour with an antibiotic intravenous drip. The neighbor paid for everything.  Throughout the entire ordeal he was very apologetic.   I have heard remarks from many that the dogs should be put down.  I have mixed feelings about that as they are his babies, and he loves them the same way I loved mine.  The dogs may have thought they were playing.  My mixed feelings are that I would fear for my grandchildren if they were out there should they get loose again.  It had been the second time the dogs appeared on our property, but I haven't seen them loose since that day, May 14, 2011 when our baby went to heaven.

Manilow, and his mommy Speckles

Manilow's journey began in Alpha, NJ on September 9, 1994 when his mother our only female tortoiseshell  kitty Speckles gave birth for the first time to four huge kittens.  We kept the gray tabby and our daughter Jamiann the devoted Barry Manilow fan named him Manilow, and we gave the black and white one to a friend whose husband would not allow her to keep him.  So we got him back, and since he looked almost identical to my old boy Franklin who by the way was neutered, I named him Franklin Jr. aka Junior. Once when we were in the audience of the Rosie O'Donnell Show, Jamiann got to speak with Rosie, and she sure got a kick out of the fact that Jamiann named her cat Manilow!

Junior

The following March,  Speckles gave birth again to four poly-dactyl extremely huge kittens.  Three were Tabby with beautifully marbleized striped coats.  My sister Irene took an orange and a gray, a friend from work took an orange, and another friend from work took the female which was a long haired tortoiseshell. Then we had Speckles spaded.  We never had a problem finding her beautiful babies a home.  By the time they were ready to leave her they were also litter trained.  

Because we had Manilow and Junior since birth they were very friendly, and lovable always.  Once when I had a baby shower for my friend Debbie, the little son of her friend made this remark about Manilow, "He's almost human!"  Out of the mouth of babes, he was oh so right! 

Well, today was their birthday. Junior passed away in my arms on September 1, 2006, his mother Speckled passed on February 9, 2009, and Manilow May 14, 2011.  

Speckles has all eight of her babies with her now in Heaven.  

Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Happy Birthday in Heaven 

to my sweet dear boys, Junior and Manilow!

Re-Post from Sept. 2009 When God Answers Prayers

A few days ago I received a call from a loved one who was distraught that her brother who has a mental illness had stopped taking his medication and was missing for over two weeks. Because he was last seen at the edge of a major river, we both had feared that perhaps he had fallen in and could have drowned. There was extra reason to worry as he had not shown up at his former place of residence to pick up his S.S.D. check which would have helped him survive.

He had been hearing voices, and was fearful that he was sought after by the CIA, and FBI. Not one of his old friends had seen him, and everyone who was close to him was worried. I had expressed to his sister that I could help her search for him in  his hometown, which is about fifty miles away.  His sister lives about sixty miles south west of me. We decided that we could get together on the Tuesday after Labor Day, and drive up to the area where he was last seen.

Last night both of us prayed that he would be alive, and that we would soon find him. Today I got up early, did some household chores, and my daughter, granddaughter and I did my grocery shopping for our planned Labor Day picnic. On the way home I realized that I had forgotten a few things and that later we would have to go to the local store downtown to pick them up.

Around 3:30 my daughter had mentioned that she was going to the pharmacy to pick up anti acids for her indigestion. I told her that I would tag along so we could stop at the store for those few things. My husband said he would keep and eye on my granddaughter who was playing a game on the Internet.

Normally, I would have gone over a bridge that leads to the downtown area just down the road, but it had been closed for repairs a few weeks ago, so I had to take a detour that heads up to the intersection of two major highways.

We passed a rather disheveled hitchhiker at the intersection. I looked at his appearance and thought that he would have a hard time getting a ride.  It then hit me like a brick that it possibly could have been our missing loved one. My daughter said she couldn't believe it was him, and I had not shared with her the fact that he had been missing.

We were after all fifty miles west of where he had gone missing over three weeks earlier. I still could not go on without checking him out one more time. I had to drive into town to turn around and then make another turn around to end up on the right side of this highway. I slowed as I passed and was thankful that a PA State Trooper was parked approximately five hundred feet away from the man, in case it wasn't the missing loved one.

As we approached the hitchhiker we immediately recognized him as the missing loved one. My daughter yelled his name, and he responded. We pulled off to the side of the road, I put on the four way flashers, and the State Trooper got out of his car and quickly approached us. He asked the missing man if he knew us and he answered with my daughter's name, and we showed our identification.

I had told him that the man's sister had reported him missing and there was supposedly an all states bulletin regarding him. The trooper had said that he had already checked his credentials and found no such bulletin. I told him what town to check, and he went to his vehicle and had the dispatcher check and found that there was a missing person's report out on him. We called the man's sister on my cell phone and told her the good news. She was ecstatic, and told me that she was on her way to my house to pick him up ASAP. We followed the trooper back to the barracks where he checked everything out and released him to my care until his sister could get to my home to pick him up.

I am sharing this story without giving away the identity of the people involved. I needed to show everyone how the power of prayer works. So many pieces had to be in place to bring this child of GOD into the care of those who love him. He had not eaten in two days, was thirsty, had injuries on his arms, and was aching and tired. He had not bathed in over three weeks. He suffers from schizophrenia an illness that is feared, yet is just as real as diabetes, or high blood pressure. People with mental illness often receive our disdain, instead of compassion.

It is amazing to me that he had wondered into my area fifty miles west of his last sighting. It is amazing to me that my daughter and I set out to the store for the forgotten items at that very moment when he was on the highway that I would not have traversed if it had not been that the bridge to the town was closed for repairs three weeks earlier. It amazes me that the trooper showed up then as I feared stopping, in case it was not the loved one that I knew so well. GOD put all those pieces together. HE was perfectly in charge, and I am thankful that HE knew that I cared enough to help this loved one in his time of need.

*Update:  It has now been two years since this incident, and I am thrilled to report that the man in this touching story has been taking his medication regularly, and is doing very well and is happy. 

I had just been listening to the John Denver song "On The Wings Of A Dream" this morning. These words came back to me as I pondered this amazing experience of today:

There are those in this life
Who are friends from our heavenly home
So I listen to the voices inside me
For I know they are there just to guide me
And my faith will proclaim it is so
We are never alone.

Another song comes to mind:

Lord, Make us instruments of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let your love increase
Lord, make us instruments of your peace,
Walls of pride and prejudice shall cease
When we are your instruments of peace.

Where there is hatred, we will show his love
Where there is injury, we will never judge
Where there is striving, we will speak his peace
To the millions crying for release,
We will be his instruments of peace

Lord, Make us instruments of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let your love increase
Lord, make us instruments of your peace,
Walls of pride and prejudice shall cease
When we are your instruments of peace.

Where there is blindness, we will pray for sight
where there is darkness, we will shine his light
Where there is sadness, we will bear their grief
To the millions crying for relief,
We will be your instruments of peace.