Miss Ann Says

Category: memories

• TV – random watching

  Posted at 8:48 am by missannsays, on September 15, 2012

  Since I am “recovery” this week from gall bladder surgery my television set has been on far more than usual. oh my!!! Until very recently I only had broadcast cable. I had channels 2 – 14. In my hometown, you must have cable to get television and there is only one cable provider.  For many years I had cable television not HBO and the fancy stuff just your family basic type plan. A few years ago my cable provider was in “negotiations” about Food network and HGTV, it was at that point I went to just broadcast cable.  I realized that the only channels I sat down to watch were ABC, NBC, CBS, ION, PBS Food Network or HGTV.  If I was looking for something to watch I would scroll through all the other channels. I realized television was a good time waster and I wanted to be more intentional about my time. Don’t get me wrong there are times that “vegging out” is totally in order. Also  I wanted to send a message to the cable company. “If you are getting rid of Food and HGTV, I am getting rid of you.” I don’t think my dropping cable made a difference to them but it did make a difference to my cable bill. I remember when I called to cancel the customer service person said “You realize your  internet fee is going to increase by $5” To which I responded “my overall bill is going to decrease by $50”. Still sounds like a savings to me 🙂

  The “perfect storm” has caused me to get real cable again. The “perfect storm” included wanting to lower my house phone costs and The Newsroom on HBO. I heard Aaron Sorkin had a new show. I loved  The West Wing and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. The house we rented on vacation had HBO so I got to watch The Newsroom and that was it I had to  see it. I will issue a disclaimer – they use the “f” word a lot. I am personally not use to that in the circles that I travel but I guess in the real world that happens. Anyway I got HBO to watch The Newsroom and as soon as I finish watching the 10 episodes for a second time I am dropping HBO.  I will get in again when second 2 starts. The Newsroom has not disappointed.

  So during this time of “recovering” I have had a lot of choices of what to watch but actually not really. Maybe it is just me but there is some weird stuff on television and real news can’t be found. The other morning Princess Kate was being interviewed on one channel as the former Duchess Sarah  was on another channel and the Kardashians were on another channel.  While all those interviews were going on American Embassies were being attacked in the Middle East. Really !?! Don’t get me wrong I like Kate and Sarah. I am not so sure about the Kardashians (who are they??) but wasn’t there hard news we should have been hearing. Even with all the channels there isn’t much to watch. Yesterday Law and Order was on 2 different channels at the same time. I guess that is good for the actors – royalties.  I  have watched a lot of NCIS.  My favorite line of all time is when Ziva asks Gibbs “what did Ducky look like when he was young?” and Gibbs says ” he looked like Illya Kuryakin”. I loved the Man from U.N.C.L.E. when I was growing up. I also loved Richard Chamberlain as Dr Kildaire. Of course my all time favorite TV mini series was The Thornbirds. Thus why daughter #2 has the name she has. Funny thing is she has met other young ladies that have her name for the same reason. Ah, the power of a good television show.

  Growing up television actually went off the air for a few hours and then came back on complete with the American flag and the Star Spangled Banner. My siblings and I weren’t allowed to watch the 3 Stooges. My dad said “we were the 3 Stooges and we needed no encouragement.” My dad also used to say “there has been a television invented that ties you to the chair and makes you watch it. Turn it off!!!”

  Posted in daily life, memories | 0 Comments | Tagged little things

• then and now – Sept 12

  Posted at 7:38 pm by missannsays, on September 12, 2012

  Early in the morning of September 12,2001 there would be a quiet knock on my kitchen door. I would peek out the kitchen curtains, recognize the person, open the door and step onto the stoop as I closed the door behind me.  It would be M  from church. Bruce and I had known M and P for years. We had all attended the same church in NJ. Eventually, just as we had moved to New York they would move “north” and we would again be attending the same church.  “I just stopped by to tell you I am going down there to look for him.” A little later another knock, another man from church he gives me a big hug and leaves. Around 7:00 am. I make a few telephone calls. I call C and T and tell them what I know. They both ask “what can we do” I tell them that if there is a body to identify that I know I can’t do that. I ask T to promise me that he will identify the body. He promises.  I speak to D. We decide that I will make a list of things that need to be accomplished and each morning she will check in and take care of that list.

  “I am here to do the all things you can’t do. And I will stay for as long as you need me” says my youngest sister has she arrives from her home in the  Albany area. “Don’t you have any cases” I ask. At that time, she was an assistant district attorney. “No, it is strange. Everyone has pleaded guilty. I don’t have any cases right now.”  Another blink from God – He is still in control.

  In the course of the day, friends, neighbors and acquaintances, will stop by with food. The firefighters at Squad 41 and I set up a plan they will call every morning and evening to check in whether they know anything new or not. The day is a blur. It is like being in a fog. As the phone rings, I relay the same information over and over again.  One of the other wives from Squad 41 calls; we agree to stay in touch. As people stop by, I meet many of them outside for several reasons, partly because the weather was beautiful, partly because I don’t want my daughter’s hearing the same thing over and over and partly because you may not like my 130 lb Rottweiler.  Weeks later I would hear “Ann isn’t doing well. She won’t let anyone in her house.” Really are you kidding me?

  On September 12, 2012 I am recovery from recent gall bladder surgery. I decided to keep the surgery off of FB (until now) because  my life just seems to come with a lot of “drama”. I am resting. C was my “surgery buddy” and drove me to and from surgery. She spent the night on Monday and made me food to eat during my recovery. D checked in and today delivered me my mail.  Other friends have prayed, sent cards and even flowers. I mention this because to have friends that have been with you through the years is a blessing. Friends who have divided my sorrows and multiplied my  joys. I am truly blest. 🙂

   

  Posted in faith, memories, September 11 | 7 Comments | Tagged friendship, little things, September 11

• A day of remembrance

  Posted at 6:53 pm by missannsays, on September 11, 2012

  •  Each September 11  Lake’s Fire department sounds it’s siren at the time of each event that occurred on this day 11 years ago. The sound of those sirens takes my breath away. I so appreciate that they do as their act of remembrance.

  8:46 – Flight 11 crashes into #1 WTC

  9:03 – United Flight 175 crashes into #2 WTC

  9:37 – American Flight 77 crashes into Pentagon

  9:59 – #2 WTC collapses in 10 seconds

  10:03 – United Flight 93 crashes in Shanksville, PA

  10:28 – #1 WTC collapses in 10 seconds

  • Bruce’s godchild will go scuba diving in Vanuatu as her act of remembrance.
  • My 9-year-old niece will wear a Squad 41 sweatshirt to school. Her act of remembrance for an uncle she never met.
  • A friend and colleague will call me from Boise, ID as he does every year. It is his act of remembrance.
  •  Small towns and cities across our nation will have a moment of remembrance.
  • Firehouses and corporations all over NYC will have services to honor their own. Their acts of remembrance.
  • People will look towards the sky this evening to see the beautiful tribute in lights. Another act of remembrance.
  • “The names” are read at the National September 11 Memorial, the Pentagon and Shanksville, PA. A fellow docent at the Tribute Center, a survivor of the #1 WTC says (my paraphrase) “the names should be read because the terrorist were set on killing nameless people but those who died weren’t nameless.” Many family members will attend the ceremony at the National September 11 Memorial. It is their act of remembrance.

   

  I have never attended the ceremony at the “site”. I have been invited each year. It is the one day of the year that I can’t go there. I don’t think I can handle the grief of all the 2,749 families and friends. At the first anniversary, my youngest daughter and I would travel to the Boston area to be with my older girl who had just started college. We would go to the Quincy Bay and pray and tell stories of Daddy. We would write a few thoughts in our “Things we would have told you” book. For the first few years after the attacks we would write in that book.  We would write things like “you would have thrown your body across the door when you saw how beautiful E, looked going to the prom” or ” M has a boyfriend.” That notebook is now set aside and that is okay. It will be fun to read it to my grandchildren some day. Especially when my daughters are telling their kids “you can’t date until you are 30”. The truth will be told about when they were young. 🙂

  During a recent to my mother in-law’s, we had a conversation about the framed purple heart certificate on her wall. She was telling the story of her brother. She told my daughter, E, and I how her sister had the certificate and the medal and after her sister’s death my mother-in-law got the certificate. She mentioned that she was concerned what will happen to the certificate after she dies. And my daughter said “Grandma you don’t have to worry. I will make sure no one throws it out.”  And that ended the conversation. My mother-in-law just wanted to make sure that her brother is remembered. And isn’t that what we all want to know that those we love will not be forgotten.

  Posted in memories, September 11 | 3 Comments | Tagged little things, September 11, telling the next generation

• R. Bruce Van Hine

  Posted at 7:00 am by missannsays, on September 10, 2012

  He would enter this world on July 25, 1953. He was given the name Richard Bruce Van Hine but he was called Bruce. He was the second child in the family, the only son. His mom celebrates her 94 birthday the end of this week. His dad died 21 years ago this November. His older sister lives in the mid west with her husband. Her grown children are married and have children and live in Colorado, Chicago and Minnesota. He had many aunts and uncles and lots of cousins. When he was young, he didn’t like school and his parents were told by his teachers that he was lazy. Upon graduation from high school, he would work as a lineman for the telephone company.  And when he received a high draft number, he would enlist in the Navy.  In the spring of 1975, he would be honorably discharged from the Navy and use all the money he had saved to buy a Porsche 914.  And he would appear on my doorstep in September of 1975.

  He was the friend of a friend. After our first date, I would tell that friend of a friend that Bruce was a “creep”.  Through the years the joke would become that he was a still “a creep” but  he was “my creep”.  We would be married on June 14, 1980. He would start his own tree business and eventually pursue his dream of being a real firefighter, a New York City firefighter. He would register to take the FDNY test one month before he would have been too old to qualify. He would take the written test, the physical test, go through the psychological testing and be given a place on the list. And then that list would be in the courts for 8 years and his dream would be on hold. One funny anecdote from the psychological testing. The psychologist would ask Bruce if he had any siblings. Bruce would respond “yes”. “where is your sister?” “in Leavenworth” The doctor would pause and then say “is she incarcerated there?” “No she lives there with her family”. That was Bruce always the wise guy. When Bruce told me the story I couldn’t believe he had said that. He thought it was amusing. He would eventually be hired as a New York City firefighter. He would also work at his tree jobs. And play a major role in raising our daughters.

  Bruce loved to be outdoors. He enjoyed scuba diving, hunting and  hiking. He tried his hand at skiing but that wasn’t really his thing. He wasn’t a big reader but he did enjoy Bill Bryson book “A Walk in the Woods” about two non hikers through hiking the Appalachian Trail.  That was another dream of his to through hike the Appalachian Trail.  He enjoyed family vacations and we took some great, inexpensive vacations. Mostly camping trips – tent camping, then we graduated to a pop up and eventually we got a trailer.

  He had no problem with being Mr Clark at my dance studio. I added Van Hine to my maiden name when we married. But I was Ann Clark at my studio. I actually was never Mrs Van Hine until after Bruce died. Kind of weird when you think about it. At one point in our marriage, I was the Sunday School Superintendent at our local church as well as the District Children’s Ministries Director for  Metro New York . One day for some bizarre reason I said to Bruce “you know you really should get a ministry” And without missing a beat he said to me “I have a ministry”. “You do. What?” “You are my ministry” and with that he walked calming out of the room. And I realized that I was able to do all the things I was doing because Bruce was giving me his unbridled support, encouragement and love.

  On February 26, 1993, Bruce was working on something in the basement. I would turn the television on to watch noontime news and hear that there had been an explosion at the World Trade Center. I would yell that information down the stairs to Bruce. He would come bounding up the stairs, listen to the report on the television and in true firefighter fashion say “I can’t believe I missed the big one.”

  In August of 2001, Bruce would escort his mother to her granddaughter, his niece’s wedding in Chicago. At that wedding he would see his sister, his one niece and her groom, his two nephews and their future spouses. At the end of August, he would spend the night on the AP trail. And during that weekend he would finish the Connecticut piece of the trail leaving a Bible in a plastic bag in the trail shelter. By doing day hikes through the years, he completed the NJ, NY, PA and CT sections of the trail.

  And on September 11, 2001,  Squad 41 would be sent to Manhattan to relocate at Squad 18 but on the way there the second plane would hit the WTC and they would go directly to the WTC site. They would enter #2 WTC and get pretty high up into the tower when they would come across injured civilians. They would start to bring those civilians down as the building collapsed. That scenario wouldn’t be known until many months after the attacks. The FDNY knew Squad 41 had been dispatched but they didn’t know which tower they had gone in, etc..   At some point during that first week after September 11, I had a dream. In my dream Bruce was in the towers and he realized the building was collapsing and he tried even harder to get people to “move” and then he whispered that he loved his girls (that is what he called me and our two daughters) and he was face to face with God. He would enter eternity on September 11, 2001.

  People have said that R. Bruce Van Hine was a hero. He wouldn’t like that word. He would say he was just doing his job, a job that he loved.  He got to be the real firefighter that he always wanted to be. He is missed but his legacy of faith, family, friends and living your calling will be told to the next generation.

  Posted in faith, memories, September 11 | 25 Comments | Tagged respect, September 11, telling the next generation

• the last time

  Posted at 4:34 pm by missannsays, on September 9, 2012

  

  I don’t remember how old my youngest daughter (M) was but at some point she put a note in her father’s dress uniform hat that said “I love you Dad”.  That note is still in that hat. And that hat sits on a shelf in the corner cabinet of my “study/reading room”.  As I remember the story, M. had placed the note in the hat because her dad was attending a firefighter’s funeral. The tradition of firefighters paying tribute to fellow fallen firefighters is a long, rich not to be taken lightly duty. To be honest, I didn’t always get the “firefighter” funeral thing. I understood the firefighters need to honor their fellow firefighters and support the family.  I personally felt it was wrong for the mayor, etc to show up at funerals and speak. I felt it was an invasion of privacy. Bruce would tell me that it was just the way it was. I had told him that if he died in the line of duty I wasn’t going to let the mayor come. He told me I would have to sort that out after he was gone. It would be my problem not his.

   The last time Bruce wore that hat was the day of M. eighth grade graduation in June 2001.  Bruce would attend the funeral for one of the firefighters killed in the Father’s Day fire. He would call and say he was running late and should he come home to change and be late for graduation or just come in his dress uniform. We would decide that he should just meet us there.  There are wonderful photos of M with her dad in his uniform.

  When September 11 falls on a Tuesday, it is a little freaky for many of us. See when it is on a Tuesday you know what you were doing in the days leading up to that day that would start as such a beautiful late summer day.  The days seem to line up more easily. I am not sure why it is maybe it is just how your brain stores information.  Sunday September 9 is the last time so many years ago that I would see my husband. He was on duty Sunday evening to Monday evening and then on duty again on Tuesday for a day tour. Because his firehouse was in the Bronx, we decided he would spend Monday night and the firehouse.

  I would speak to him on the phone on Monday. I can’t remember what that conversation was about. I do vividly remember the conversation we had when he left for work on Sunday September 9, 2001. It had been a ordinary Sunday. We attended church with our eldest daughter (E). Our youngest daughter (M) wasn’t home. She was on a school sponsored trip to the New Jersey shore. We had lunch and then took a  *”Nazarene” nap. As Bruce was getting dressed to leave, he said “I am so blest”. I commented “why”. He answered “I am married to Miss Ann, we have 2 great kids and we got the trailer.” To which I responded “some people won’t see being married to me as a plus. You are right the girls are great. And yes, we had a great summer.” 🙂

   The mayor won’t be at Bruce’s memorial service not because I didn’t invite him but because there were too many services/funerals. A representative of the mayor’s office and governor’s office would be there. A little side story I would actually meet those gentlemen the day before. The day before Bruce’s memorial service we would stop by Squad 41 in the Bronx. As we pulled into the little parking lot next to the firehouse, an official looking car would pull in behind us. Two suits would get out. They were coming to Squad 41 to learn about Bruce and pay their respects.They didn’t expect to run into his family.  I had a brief conversation with them. Some time after I would receive a personal note from those men telling me how moved they had been by his service and meeting me. On September 29 we would have Bruce’s memorial service. It would celebrate his life and bring glory to our God. Both of those things were important to us. Firefighters from all around would attend. And they would be given a standing ovation has they entered and left the church. I can still hear the sound of people applauding for them. The firefighters would exit the church and stand in formation outside.  My daughters and I would walk out the side door of the church and around the corner of the building to see a giant American flag drapped between two firetrucks and all those firefighters would stand at attention as we walked by. My daughters tell me that they still remember the sound of my heels on the pavement. I actually remember that sound, too. We would re-enter the church through a lower level door and have a brief time of refreshment. Complete with Arthur Avenue cheesecake and coffee – two of Bruce’s favorites. Family, friends and complete strangers would offer their words of encouragement and support. My daughter’s friends from school, church and camp would be there to support them. The outpouring of love was amazing.  And on Monday October first, E, M and I would establish our new normal but those stories are for another day.

       *Nazarene nap – Sunday afternoon nap right after lunch and sandwiched in between morning service and evening service.*
  Posted in faith, memories, respect in the real world, September 11 | 4 Comments | Tagged following Jesus, friendship, September 11

• And the survey says…

  Posted at 9:03 pm by missannsays, on August 25, 2012

  I don’t know about you but I have noticed that more and more companies and healthcare providers seem to be asking for your opinion on how they are doing. Frankly, I am finding this slightly annoying. My mom broke her arm last April and a trip to the ER, a hospital stay, rehab and doctor’s visit have followed. She has received surveys from the hospital, the rehab facility, the home healthcare agency and her doctor. All have been at least 4 pages long and had prepaid postage. I’m sorry but isn’t this increasing the cost of healthcare. And  do they really think a 80-year-old can fill in those little circles.

  I had the oil changed in my car last Monday and you guessed it on Tuesday morning there was an email with a survey asking about my experience.  I will tell you I wasn’t totally honest about my experience because I was “cutting” the service person some slack.  She was actually very nice to the male customers but a little rude to me. I have never had a problem with the male service representatives but she was just annoyed with me. She asked me if my car is a V4 or V6. I had never been asked that before and I don’t know the answer. I know the make, the model, year and  my license plate number. I got the impression that me not knowing that was an affront to womanhood. That same day I went in a well-known office supply store and as the clerk handed me my receipt he commented that I may want to complete a survey about my experience. And a clothing store the week before wanted me to go online a complete a brief survey.

  I am just a little confused by this whole survey thing for a few reasons. First I don’t think it can be a reliable way of getting feedback. How many people actually complete the survey and send it back? How many people are totally honest when they complete it? Second some of the questions can’t really be answered by a number scale. Third how much is this costing?  Is it cost effective? I am thinking  businesses could train their people to be proud of the work they do and then we wouldn’t need surveys and they could lower costs.

  A random thought about surveys:  Years ago, I was  playing Family Feud with my siblings and cousins and the question was “name something connected with Caesar” and my cousin said “salad”. But the best answer ever while playing a boxed game with siblings and neighbors was while playing Jeopardy. The answer was “Hitler’s first name” and my sister said “What is heil?”. Our neighbor fell off her chair she was laughing so hard and it still makes me smile.

  Another random thought: I have friends who were on Family Feud. They didn’t win big but they had a great time.

  Posted in daily life, memories | 2 Comments | Tagged little things

• a silver bracelet, a buffet and bread

  Posted at 6:23 pm by missannsays, on August 16, 2012

  My aunt died this past weekend. She had taken a terrible fall last November and after months in the hospital and rehab she had gone home. She was doing quite well when other health issues would get the best of her. She fought the good fight but her body could only take so much. My heart is broken for my uncle, cousins and their families. She will be missed. My aunt and uncle and I shared something very special. We had the same wedding day – June 14. I was actually the flower girl in my aunt and uncle’s wedding. To be honest, I don’t remember that event because I was only 4 years old. I have however seen many a photo and for many years I had a small silver  bracelet that my aunt and uncle had given me on June 14, 1958.  I have fond memories of looking at it in my mom’s jewelry box and her saying “that is yours”. When Bruce and I were planning our wedding we picked June 14 as our date. Mainly because his mom had always joked that she would put the “flag out” when he got married. Thus June 14 being Flag Day seemed perfect.  So on June 14, 1980 Bruce and I were married and that silver  bracelet given me by my aunt and uncle was passed along to my flower girl, Bruce’s niece.

   

  On another note, the “Ho Chi Minh” has a new home. (See 5/26 blog) This past Friday my daughter and I met at my parent’s house and loaded the “Ho Chi Minh” into her car for the journey to PA. Last evening she sent me a photo of the buffet fondly called the Ho Chi Minh proudly displayed in her dining area. It seems perfect that it has been passed along to the next generation.

   

  Lately I have been pondering this whole concept of remembering.  The thought that keeps coming to mind is communion “do this in remembrance of me”. A simple cup of wine and a piece of bread. Such ordinary every day items used to remember the greatest sacrifice ever made. And maybe that is the point it is in the every day that we remember.

  Posted in daily life, faith, memories, relationships | 0 Comments | Tagged little things, telling the next generation

• A little bit of this & a little bit of that

  Posted at 4:07 pm by missannsays, on August 1, 2012

  Recently heard:

       “It isn’t about design” spoken by a 10-year-old boy during a “timed tower building challenge” at church.

  “Just because it is hard, it doesn’t mean it is interesting.” spoken by my son-in-law while watching Olympic men’s gymnastics.

  After circling the parking area in Rehoboth Beach more than once, a car pulls out. “Yes” – me “It is a handicapped spot” – my daughter, “I have nanny’s permit in the glove compartment” – me,  A gasp of  total disbelief from both of my daughters, “desperate times, call for desperate measures” –  me.  Luckily it wasn’t actually a handicapped spot. It was so funny how shocked my girls were that I said that. 🙂

  “bats in the belfry or the bedroom”

  While unpacking from vacation, I walked into my daughter’s bedroom and notice a large bug above the closet door. Wait, that is not a bug, it is a bat. I promptly scream, throw the bag I was putting away and slam the bedroom door. My daughter asks what’s wrong. I tell her about the bat and she puts a rolled up towel at the foot of the door. I momentarily thing about using the colander to push the bat to the floor and then maneuver it outside. I realize that probably won’t work and decide to call a friend’s husband, who so very graciously drives over and gets the bat out of the house. Thank you, thank you.

  I am reminded of a couple of previous bat adventures. Camp is famous for having bats which is fine as long as the campers don’t freak out. My brain and many camper/counselor brains understand that in theory bats are good because they eat insects but when they are flying around – not so much. Each night at light’s out I would need to go with my co director to check that the campers were settled down for the night. Some of the camping areas had Adirondack shelters aka “bus shelters”. An Adirondack shelter  is a three-sided shelter with a canvas tarp on the front. Inside there are two bunk beds and a dresser. Anyway as we walk up towards the camping area, we see a bat circling around the light catching bugs. We were expecting to see frighten campers but  instead the girls are just getting ready for bed. Quietly we ask the counselor if she has noticed the bat. “Yes, we have and his name is Henry” For some reason naming the bat, made it okay for the campers – that was a smart counselor.

  My other bat story involves a bat that had made a couple of appearances in our home. One Wednesday evening when Bruce and I returned home from prayer meeting, the girls weren’t home which was upsetting because where were they? They were at my neighbor’s house. In the hour and a half Bruce and I had been gone, a bat had been in the house. My daughters had been watching television and a bat was flying around the living room. They had run next door to our neighbors. Anyway, Bruce does a through sweep of the house and can’t find it. He states with some authority that “it must have flown out”. So we go to bed and in the middle of the night, I can feel the air above my head pulsating – swosh, swosh. I don’t open my eyes because I know the bat is right there. I elbow my husband many times, as I whisper “Bruce, Bruce” and finally he wakes up. I don’t remember how he finally got the bat but I can vividly remember the air swishing above my head. It freaks me out just to think about it. I guess two bats in my house in 28 years isn’t bad but no bats would have been better.

  Posted in daily life, kid stuff, memories | 1 Comment | Tagged kid stuff, little things

• Family vacation 2012

  Posted at 5:29 pm by missannsays, on July 27, 2012

   This is the view from the beach house we have rented for “family vacation”. For the last few years some time  between Thanksgiving and New Years my daughters will ask “is there family vacation next year?” To which I respond “do you want to go on family vacation?” Family vacation is code for mom plans and mom pays. I am blest that my girls and their guys want to go on vacation with me and that I can afford to do that. The planning usually starts in January with “where should we go and when are you available?” This year there were emails back and forth with links to possible beach houses. And by the beginning of February the beach house was reserved for the third week in July.

  I enjoy beach vacations but I am a brat so I want to be right on the beach and I want nothing to do but be with my family, read, chat and sip ice tea. This year’s family vacation is in Broadkill Beach, Delaware. The beach house is a block from the bay. It is a short walk over the dunes to the beach. The weather has been great a little warm but if you sit right at the edge of water you don’t feel as hot. My youngest daughter’s golden retriever has joined us complete with his own life jacket and water toys. I have read 2 books (A Secret Kept by Tatina De Rosnay and The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thorton Wilder) and been able to watch  5 episodes Newsroom – the new Alan Sorkin drama on HBO. I don’t have HBO so it was exciting to learn the beach house did. We also have played Wits and Wagers – fun game.

  I have had the opportunity to share with my daughters stories of other beach adventures. As a child I remember going to Blackpool to visit my Uncle Bill. As a child, Blackpool was a magical place. There was Blackpool Tower, the circus, trolleys going up and down the boardwalk, fish and chips, donkey rides on the beach. The beach was huge and you could walk out “forever”.  I have a vivid memory of playing soccer with my brother and sister, when suddenly my brother when flying across the beach. He had slipped on something – a jelly fish. There were many jellyfish on the beach that summer. We would later learn that because of a change in the Gulf stream there were man of war in Blackpool. Yuck.  On another note, because Blackpool is in England, you don’t water a bathing suit on the beach – it is too cold. Another beach memory is taking my “little sister” to the Jersey Shore, Sandy Hook to be exact. My “little sister” is 12 years younger than I am so when I was old enough to drive she was still young. I remember standing at the edge of the water and a big wave came and knocked us over. Luckily I was holding her hand and I kept holding on to her – that was scary.  As a teenager, I have memories of day trips to the shore with friends – baby oil, little bikinis and Parkway traffic. I remember snorkeling with Bruce on our honeymoon in St Thomas and being afraid of the fish. His comment was “you are the one who isn’t suppose to be here – this is where they live” Family trips when my girls were young to Wildwood Crest, Island Beach State Park and North Carolina. And trips to the beaches of St Thomas with my girls when they were in high school. And family vacations with my sister and her family to North Carolina and Rhode Island.

  As I was packing for this trip, I realized I didn’t have to pack sand toys. No one is building sand castles on this trip to the beach. Things change. But the waves continue to roll in and out. And family vacation becomes more and more precious.

  Posted in books, daily life, memories, relationships | 2 Comments | Tagged little things, reading list

• what if…

  Posted at 1:08 pm by missannsays, on July 4, 2012

  This is really a continuation of my last post – Respect in the Real World -4th of July & book club.  At book club, one comment that was made more than once last evening was “I wonder what I would do if…?”. I don’t think we can know what we would do in any given situation until we are in that situation. Projecting what we hope we would do isn’t necessarily helpful. I feel knowing what we believe, what we cherish, what to us is not negotiable is of utmost importance. But until we are in a situation we can’t know what we will do or how we will react.

  I remember hearing a story about Corrie ten Boom about what if…. I don’t remember the whole story but the part that has stuck with me and I tried to instill in my own children went something like this: Corrie had asked her father “how will I know what to do when _____happens? How will I get through_____”. Her father told her a story. “When we are going on a journey by train when do I give you the ticket?” Corrie responded “when we start the journey, when we get on the train.” Her father stated “And God will give you what you need when you need it. He will give his grace when you need it.”

  I have a vivid memory from September 2001 of sitting on the floor of my living room with my daughters and sister and asking them “Where do you think daddy is right now?” And they answered “in heaven”. I said “it is time to plan a memorial service”. And then I said something like this “I have no idea how we are going to get through this but if a week ago someone had told me we would have to go through what we have already gone through, I never would have believed them. God has gotten us through the last week and we had moments of sadness but we also had moments of peace and even laughter. And He will give us what we need when we need it.” And He has.

  Posted in books, faith, memories, September 11 | 1 Comment | Tagged following Jesus, prayer, September 11

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