V.P. Joe and Dr. Jill Biden

- V.P. Joe Biden

Yesterday one of my dearest friends lost a loved one to suicide.  One of my neighbors had a seizure outside my apartment while I was writing yesterday’s post.  He is fighting for his life at Harborview.  Someone left a comment about the grief her family was experiencing because her brother-in-law convinced the police that his wife’s death was suicide.  She knows her sister didn’t kill herself, and it is breaking her heart that her former brother-in-law probably got away with murder.

Life is precious, and it can be gone in the blink of an eye.  We often can’t know the searing pain someone is feeling because we aren’t walking in their shoes.  Still, we want to find words to comfort them rather than have them feeling like we are well-intentioned yet horridly misguided and perhaps even insensitive.  How can we express sympathy with empathy?

ABC News reported last night on Vice President Joe Biden’s extemporaneous reflections on grief to the families of slain soldiers.  He went off-message to share his experiences after the sudden loss of his first wife and daughter in a car accident at Christmas:

And just like you guys know by the tone of a phone call — you just knew, didn’t you? You knew when they walked up the path. You knew when the call came. You knew. You just felt it in your bones something bad happened.  And I knew. I don’t know how I knew. But the call said my wife was dead, my daughter was dead, and I wasn’t sure how my sons were going to make it.

. . .black hole you feel in your chest, like you’re being sucked back into it. . .gets controllable. . .folks, it can and will get better. . .

There will come a day, I promise you. . .when the thought of your son or daughter or your husband or wife brings a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eye.   It will happen. My prayer for you is that day will come sooner or later. But the only thing I have more experience than you in is this: I’m telling you it will come.

Ben Hunnel, Joan Waitt, Cindy Waitt, Ted Waitt, and Marcia Waitt

Memorial Day has been gradually morphing from a celebration of war to a celebration of loved ones who are no longer with us.  Cindy Waitt at the Waitt Foundation  is writing a blog about the loves of our lives.  The Waitt Foundation is a leader in preventing domestic violence, and I am beyond intrigued that Ms. Waitt has launched this project:

Much of my work in this lifetime centers on how to create a more peaceful world by preventing violence before it starts.  The flip side of violence, I think, is love.  Though we hear “the love of your life”…and hear it alot, I think the tale less told is “the loves of your life”.

I’m gathering feedback from women and men about that here and I hope you’ll join me.

Ms. Waitt is wickedly funny and wise.  Her first installment “Dating is a process of elimination” made me laugh out loud and brought stinging tears to my eyes.  It’s been 20 years since I’ve been on a date.  Like many abuse survivors, I’m beyond terrified that I’ll pick Mr. Really Wrong again.  However, I’m reading all these articles and statistics about how happily married people live better quality lives and have better health.  So, I’ve decided it is time to get fit and healthy and open my heart to love again.

To this end, I have added a Journey 2 Joy blogroll.

Lovebirds shared by Julie Owens

Peace on Earth Starts at Home

Why do we too often wait to celebrate someone’s life until after they are gone?  My late, great auntie Mame taught me to show people how much we love them every day.  She helped me understand that peace on earth starts at home.  She celebrated life and love with tremendous passion and enthusiasm.  Her summer home on the shores of Lake Michigan in South Haven, Michigan was my favorite retreat.  The sound of the waves crashing on the shore is the absolute best antidote to stress.

Mrs. Hal David, Pres. Barack Obama, and Burt Bacharach

What the World Needs Now Is Love, Sweet Love

Burt Bacharach and Hal David recently won the Gershwin Prize for their lifetime achievement.   The songs performed during the PBS documentary at the White House brought back memories of a time when our world was filled with hope, optimism, and love.  I think we all need more love.  Love helps us find winning solutions.  Love helps us weather the storms of life.  Love fills our hearts with joy and makes life worth living.  I hope the lyrics from their song “What the World Needs Now Is Love” will inspire you.

Hurricane Ridge overlooking the Strait of San Juan de Fuca

Purple Haze lavender

Mock Hydrangea

Today began dreary and drippy.  By noon, the sun was shining and everyone was giddy with joy. I decided to capture Ma Nature in all her glory in photos.

Fire Station Rainbow

When I walked out of the restaurant after lunch, I stumbled upon this brief yet glorious rainbow created by firemen flushing their hoses.

Urban rhododendron

I saw these lovely urban rhoddies a few days ago when I didn’t have my camera.

My own favorite treasures are my bleeding heart from Flower World and my lace cap hydrangea.

Bleeding Heart

The bleeding heart is an indoor plant that loves being outside during the summer in a sheltered spot.

Lace Cap Hydrangea

Hydrangeas typically look like snowballs. The lace cap hydrangea looks like a romantically feminine lady’s hat with delicate blooms around the rim and tiny buds in the center. I haunted nurseries for weeks to find this beauty.

The day ended with a rare gorgeous sunset.

Ring of Fire solar eclipse in Seattle

A Boeing engineer with a wicked sense of humor captured a photo of the exciting Ring of Fire solar eclipse at Boeing Field in Seattle.  The next photos are what the rest of the world got to see.

Ring of Fire solar eclipse in China

Ring of Fire solar eclipse in Los Angeles, CA

Ring of Fire solar eclipse in Manila

It’s a myth that Seattle gets a lot of rain. We do, however, have more than our fair share of gloomy days. It helps to have a sense of humor.  Thanks, Elena, for sharing this terrific joke.

Flower World

A trip to Flower World is phenomenal therapy for me.  My case manager took me last week to buy unusual flowers.  She had never been to Flower World, and I think it blew her socks off.

The grounds are lushly landscaped.

Chickens, ducks, and geese roam freely. I noticed lambs and baby goats hanging out in pens.

Koi and huge turtles inhabit the fountains near the coffee bar inside the massive greenhouse.

I came home with a bleeding heart vine with white and red-tipped flowers, a deep rose bougainvillea, and a new kind of geranium with variegated hot pink blossoms.

Edmonds marina with Olympic Mountains in background

A stay-cation means a trip to the Edmonds waterfront. Edmonds reminds me of South Haven, Michigan ~ my favorite retreat when I lived in Chicago. I was ecstatic to discover a restaurant has finally opened a patio next to the beach and is serving juicy burgers.

We’ve been blessed this Spring with a series of sunny weekends. There’s nothing like standing or sitting on the beach and seeing snow in the mountains where it belongs. The orca sculpture is at the underwater park north of the ferry dock. That’s Mt. Baker in the background.

Starfish

When the tide is very low ~ it was -3.4′ the day I took these photos ~ you can see the creatures that live under the ferry dock.

Sunfish

Live crab

Extreme low tides, of course, are thanksgiving day for the seagulls.


As my late, great auntie Mame loved to opine as we ate our burgers on the South Haven waterfront, “the sightseeing [handsome sailors] is awesome.”

Seal pup at Marina Park Beach

This seal pup posed for photographs for the tourists.

These photos were taken at sunset at the marina. The cloudy photo was taken at low tide, and the sunset photo is at high tide.  The Olympic Mountains that you can see in the featured photo at the top of this post are obscured by clouds.

Boardwalk in North Creek Park

Mill Creek, WA celebrates reforested old-growth wetlands.  North Creek Park is a huge urban wetland with a 3/4 mile floating boardwalk.

Old Growth Tree Trunk

This massive old growth tree is at the south entrance of the park.

The limbs are so huge that they bend at the ground and appear to each be a tree.

Canadian goose in the marsh.

In a month, the grasses will be so tall that it will be nearly impossible to see the ducks and geese floating on the water above massive peat bogs.

Red-winged blackbirds

I heard these red-winged blackbirds’ song long before I was able to capture this photo.  The chorus of birdsong is glorious, but the birds are shy and cautious.  I saw a red-tailed hawk soaring and hunting, and I’ve been told the wetland is also home to a bald eagle family as well as beavers.

Marsh grass

The grasses floating in the marsh dance a ballet with the strong currents of North Creek.  I will confess that it felt creepy bouncing along the boardwalk and wondering whether recent repairs would keep me from falling into the chilly waters.  I was glad to be back on solid ground, and I wished I had gone back to photograph the super moon.  The trees around my apartment complex are so towering that I wasn’t able to see it from home.

Super moon at the Space Needle

Daffodil Cheerfulness, Angelique Tulip, Grape Hyacinth

My flowers bring me tremendous joy.   I love the romantic blend of pale pink, lavender, and white.

Grape hyacinth (muscari armeniacum)

Hyacinths are favorite bulbs because they herald Spring.  I discovered these tiny grape hyacinths in Edmonds and love their delicate addition to a container of bulbs.

Hyacinth Anne Marie

When this hyacinth bloomed, it took my breath away.

The daffodils this year were spectacular, and a few are still in bloom!

Daffodil Thalia

My absolutely favorite tulip is the Angelique because it looks like a peony. They were a bit of a disappointment this year because I jammed too many bulbs into my container. Still, I love this photo.

Angelique tulip and grape hyacinth

Hydrangea

These lovely hydrangea were my Easter gift to myself.  Amazingly, they are still in bloom.

Klem’s Leen Van der Mark Tulips

Skagit County, WA is infamous for their tulips, but these Leen Van der Mark tulips are from Klem’s in Redmond.  They bloom very dramatically.

I will be posting more photos on my Facebook page.  My flowers bring me joy first thing in the morning when I sip my coffee and scribble in my journal.  They continue to lighten my spirits as I write at my computer.  They are so vital to my PTSD recovery that I actually have a prescription for flowers from my physician!

Acadia National Park Quarter*

A quarter is about as simple as math gets.   The quarter is our most popular coin.  Little kids who can’t count know that a quarter is 25 cents, and it takes four quarters to have $1.  The US Mint uses the quarter to promote celebrations (bicentennial quarter in 1976) and coin collection (50 states and national parks).

Yet, this intrepid blogger with all her education and high IQ confused 225,000 with 250,000.  Close, but as they say, no cigar.  My face is red.  I’m mortally embarrassed.  I published my previous post before I realized I’m so exhausted that I can’t do the simplest math.  Perhaps it was the impatient little kid in me asking too often,  ”are we there yet?”

Good golly, Miss Molly. Good grief, Charlie Brown. Clearly, I need to take my addled brain on vacation.

I’ve promised myself a vacation since I started this blog on V-Day, 2009.  But, I never seem to actually take the time off.

There is a lot in my life to celebrate.  The tulips are in bloom.  We’re getting Spring this year.  My bike is repaired and ready to ride.  I love going to the beach with my camera for an Artist’s Date.  I have a pile of movies to watch.  I’ve been in my new digs for a year.

It is time for some self-care.  I want to have the energy and stamina to reach the next level.  We’ve accomplished great things individually and collectively, and I’m very excited about the future.

*  The Acadia quarter depicts the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse and Acadia’s rough coastline in Maine.  It is part of the America the Beautiful series which commemorates national parks.

It is a dream come true.  I feel profoundly blessed and humbled by your support and loyalty.

Earl Richards, you keep me honest with your comments.  RitaAnita Linger has been my steadfast soul sista and loyal champion.  Julie Owens and Kit Gruelle complete this North Carolina triangle of brilliance, compassion, wisdom, humor, enthusiasm, competence, faith, and warrior spirit.

Nancy Carroll and Mildred Muhammad, you taught me how it is done with grace and generosity.

Vernetta Cockerham, Barbara Bentley, and Karen Welch you have proven one survivor can make an enormous difference.

Ginny Nicarthy, you are the mother of our movement.  You taught us all and continue to inspire us to do our best.

My Facebook Friends have given me fantastic ideas, tremendous belly laughs, insight, and virtual hugs.  These are the things that fuel my determination to keep this site alive through challenges that were inordinately daunting.

You all have blessed me beyond my wildest dreams, and I am deeply grateful for your support and loyalty.  I wish you all abundant blessings.