There is one....

Everything underneath the skyline
From the east side to the west
Of the lives I've lived and those I've known
There is one I've loved the best

-John Waite

“Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger, even though it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and griefs which we endure help us in our marching onward.”

Victim or Hero?

"What if the word victim could be redefined into something closer to hero, recognizing that the path some have tread will spare others from the same?"

If Linda's story will spare others from suffering her fate, maybe that was her purpose in this life. That, and all the people she helped during her career as a nurse.

"From where each goes, others learn."

New Old Dog

Well, we took the plunge again and got a dog. It wasn't easy after my Akita, Abigail died last year. I just felt it was time. We went to a rescue on Staten Island called P.L.U.T.O. (Pet Lovers United Together as One). They usually set up a mobile shelter outside of Petco and, after we got home from summer vacation, we (well, I) decided to go pay them a visit. I had been there months before by myself just to check it out and I wasn't impressed. I saw a dog that I thought would be good for the kids, no great woop. I put in an application and never heard back from them. This time, when got out of the car and walked up to the store, I saw him - THE ONE, the Big Woop. I said out loud, "There's my dog!" He is a Dachchund/Basset Hound mix. He was a little overweight, no a lot overweight (he slimmed down and is a fit fido now). He is cute as a button. The kids sat and played with him while I filled out the application and I didn't have any expectations as we left (remembering my last visit). That night, we got a call and a visit from the PLUTO people and the next day we picked up Tybo. I call him Tiberius. It feels like he's always been with us. He's my hot water bottle at night and a companion to us during the day. He sits by me where ever I am (like now) and loves taking walks. Funny dog. Very verbal too, and the best part is he's HOUSEBROKEN. It's all good.

Meeting Alice, Saying Goodbye.

I remember meeting Alice for the first time. It was a dinner at Canlon's celebrating her anniversary. I was the "new girl" and so nervous. She came in and smiled at me, sat down next to me and took my hand. I felt like I knew her forever. There was something about her that was indescribable, a "lightness of being," - something about her smile and the way she looked right into your eyes when she talked to you. I used to say that she was lucky to have a son like him but now I know that he was lucky to have a mother like her.