Tales of Travel

Now, I am aware that our trip seems a tad depressing.  The subject matter was serious and full of a potpourri of emotions.  However, there were light moments.  There were those times when I was laughing so hard I almost wet my pants – which doesn’t take much.  When dealing with serious issues, there has…

Stop

I was under the assumption that if I was in a place of acceptance that I had to like the situation, but I am finding that isn’t the case. Acceptance doesn’t mean you like it, it simply means that you have come to terms with it.   This is especially important when dealing with difficult…

The Reality

I suppose our history books are designed to summarize significant points that seem fundamentally more important.    My memory of learning about the holocaust was not dramatic.  Yes, I was aware of the gas chambers, the concentration camps, but I was not privy to the untold stories.  The reality was so horrid, inhumane and brutal…

Coming Home

It feels like I have been gone such a long time.  So funny how alluding time is and that it plays tricks with my mind.    I love coming home.  Creating a life that I long to come back to marks a successful fifty years of craftsmanship.   The trip was amazing and in the…

The Elephant In The Room

I have often heard you are as sick as your secrets.  When I was growing up, not a whole lot was shared about family members…..living or dead.    My mother especially was close lipped about her family of origin.   A very small family, I only knew her brother/my uncle.   He didn’t live in…

Bon Voyage

So, today is the day.   Our excursion to travel the same path as those who lost their lives in the Holocaust.   It will be an exploration that will start in Germany, travel to Poland, extend to the Czech Republic and then wind its way to Austria.    As I write this, I am…

The Darkness

This adventure we are about to embark on will be full of sadness.  We are traveling the path that the Nazis and the victims of the Holocaust forged.   It will be a trip, that I anticipate, will transform me in ways that I will not anticipate.  This is not a sightseeing tour.  This is…

The Wheel

Packing for a twelve day excursion overseas is interesting.   My brain is on full throttle.  The suitcases have taken up the guest bedroom and I am methodically putting items in thinking that I have this under control.  The realization that my being overly prepared might be the cause of forgetting what I have packed.…

A Reason To Celebrate

I am baffled at individuals who are not inclined to celebrate their birthdays.   I mean, it is a pretty big deal or a least that is how I was raised.   While there weren’t ponies and over-the-top parties, my parents always made me feel special……that my birth was the greatest thing that ever happened…

The Headache

It is never a good sign when I receive a letter from the Social Security office regarding Bailey’s benefits.     Normally, it is a helpful reminder that there are ways to get off disability.   Unless they are taking away an extra chromosome, Bailey will continue to have Down syndrome , so kindly just…