Noteable Quotes

Chance favors those in motion. James H. Austin


To be what we are, and to become what we are capable of becoming, is the only end of life. Robert Louis Stevenson


Every thought is a seed. If you plant crab apples, don’t count on harvesting golden delicious. Bill Meyer


Success is not to be pursued; it is to be attracted by the person you become. Jim Rohn


You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away men's initiative and independence.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.
--Abraham Lincoln

I Could Maybe Impress You

I want to write about a special verse that touches me tremendously. It’s from a song on the CD, “Lifeline” by Philliips, Craig and Dean:
“I feel quite sure if I did my best, I could maybe impress you,
with tender words, or a cute story, and a clever rhyme or two,
But if all I’ve done in the times we’ve shared, is turned your eyes on me,
Then I’ve failed to do what I’ve been called to do, there’s someone else I want you to see:
Will you love Jesus more when we go our different ways?
When this moment is a memory, will you remember His face?
Will you look back and realize, you sensed His love more than you did before?
I pray for nothing less, than for you to love Jesus more!”

My Bedroom is 68 Degrees! Alleluia!

As the cold weather hit us - I noticed that the furnace didn't seem to be heating the house. The fan would run and run - but no heat. Joe and I were very worried - given all of our recent financial outlay. Finally we had Bob the heating and air man come out today - for the third time this year. I don't think the previous two visits were under $500 each. Let me just say I have said the Memorare at least twice a day since last Friday - asking for an inexpensive furnace repair. After a couple of hours - we had heat - all for $94.00. Thank you Mother Mary.

I'm For Most Excellent Harmonies

I read this passage today:
"Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious -- the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies."- Philippians 4:8-9, The Message

Granparents Day at Leah's School

Friday, October 10th was Grandparents day at Leah's school for her grade (Kindergarten). Grandpa and Grandma enjoyed the tour of Leah's room, the school library, the halls, and the restroom before we had some cookies and juice. Leah wanted to be sure we saw everything!

Granparents Day at Tyler's School

Thursday October 9th was Grandparents day at Ty's school for his grade. Grandpa couldn't go, so Grandma enjoyed the tour of the room and some cookies and juice. In spite of his smile - Ty didn't enjoy the picture taking.

Ask and You Shall Receive

This weekend I received over 100 recipes for my cookbook! I reminded everyone when we were in Florida, and sent a reminder e-mail with a list of the recipes I already have. This week I received messages with the fruits of my relatives' labor. Whew - I'm going to be busy!

Ghoulish King and Queen

Joe and Les Went to a costume party Saturday night. Don't the look cute? I made them stand in front of the fireplace where we always took prom pictures!

Shoes from a Mannequin

I thought of something else today. When Julie and I were shopping for clothes for her family for Mom's funeral, we couldn't find quite the right size of some cute little black patten leather shoes for Leah. We looked all over and found some size 12's, but size 13 would be better - and would certainly fit her for Christmas. We looked all over the shoe department. We finally decided we'd have to live with the size 12's. That was the final thing on our list - so we headed to the checkout. As we passed the young girls department, Julie stopped dead in her tracks. I was confused - what did we forget? I didn't see her laser focus on the mannequin - more specifically the mannequin's shoes. It was the same style we were looking for! Julie took off the mannequin's left shoe - and it was a 13! We checked with someone who worked at the store - who said she had just put those shoes on the mannequin 2 hours before - and if we would wait a few minutes she would gladly get us the box they belonged in. We waited - and came away with exactly what we wanted. That Julie is something else!

When Mom died, I was reading Nora Roberts

I want to remember everything about what happened when Mom died. I want to remember that Susan talked to Mom about her gardens and Elaine read her Weight Watcher recipes before we all arrived. I want to remember that Chuck took care of getting the carpet cleaned so Dad wouldn't have to see the blood and vomit. I want to remember that Stan prayed with our family, twice, before Mom passed away. I want to remember Matt, with his stoic face, and tears streaming from his eyes, and Julie, whose heart was breaking as we watched Mom's oxygen levels slowly decline. I want to remember Lauren, who wanted to know everything that was going on with Mom - as a young med student would. I want to remember that it wasn't like on TV - there was no beeping of equipment along with her heart - just silence (when Tyler had finished reading Green Eggs and Ham) as her oxygen levels slipped to zero. I want to remember that Carolyn and Dad picked out Mom's dress, and that we were supposed to include undergarments. I want to remember that I wasn't too thrilled when I heard the casket and lining were blue, until Midge from Mom's church said "It's the color of the Blessed Mother", and suddenly I was fine. And I want to remember that I thought Mom looked pretty good - and she was smiling, even though Leah said she looked weird.

My Godmother

Today, as we walked into Mom's service, I heard a voice saying - "Which one is Barbara, which one is Barbara?" When I identified myself, she introduced herself as Miriam, my Godmother. I was so shocked and excited to see her. I hadn't seen her since I was a small child. She told me she prayed for me every day. (Joe told her I needed it). I spoke to her for a short time afterward, and got her contact information. I told her I remembered her many gifts of Christmas pins, and that I have wished over the years that I still had them.
She was a wonderful friend to my Mom, for sixty plus years.

Mom was Laid to Rest Today

Today was the memorial service for Mom. There were so many people there - way more than Dad expected. It was standing room only. Elaine gave a beautiful talk about the legacy Mom left us - for the Perzel girls - Dad called us the YaYa girls - the strength she left us with. Elaine asked all of the Perzel girls to stand - there were so many of us - Me, Carolyn, Elaine, Susan, Sharon, Julie, Leah, Meridith, Emily, Amanda, Lauren, Stephanie. As they say - the force is strong with us.
Afterward we went to Elaine's house and had long visits with family and friends. I met two of Mom's friends from the IRS. I spoke to several neighbors from my childhood, including Mr. Plogstead who used to play Santa for us - until Julie recognized him when she was seven.

Acts of Mercy

I found this on the web today:
How we treat others, however, is not simply about proper etiquette and good manners – it’s an important part of our faith as well. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus invites into heaven those who fed and cared for him, adding “whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” As Christians, we are called to feed the hungry and clothe the naked, to visit the sick and bury the dead. These corporal works of mercy, given to us by Christ, are a critical part of being Jesus to others. Of course there are many practical opportunities to perform these works of mercy. We can work at the local soup kitchen, or serve as a volunteer at a summer camp. We can donate clothes to Goodwill and Catholic Social Services, or sponsor a child through a relief ministry. Those are all wonderful and important ways to practice the works of mercy. But even on a daily basis, we can show mercy and love in the simple way we treat everyone we come in contact with. This is the most basic and important place to start. As Paul says in I Corinthians 13, even if we give away everything we own, if we don’t have love then we gain nothing from what we have done. Showing kindness to those around us is a work of mercy. It is a form of feeding the hungry, not actual food of course, but of providing Christ’s nourishing love to a starving nation.

Sunday, October 12 Mom Died

The doctor and nurse explained that Mom was failing. The plan was to pull the tubes, and when that happened the end might take 10 minutes, it might take 24 hours. Dad was there with all of us. We all took some time to say a few words to Mom. We asked Stan to help us say a prayer for Mom, and for all of us. I know it was hard for him - but his prayer was wonderful.
Father Ronnie Sison from Mom and Dad's parish came over to give her a final blessing. We all stepped out - except Sharon and Lauren - while they removed the tubes. Then we all gathered around her bed to wait. I shared something that Mom said to me while we were on the cruise - that she looked up and saw all of her children reading and was proud. The silence was intense. Some of us were quiet, some were crying quietly, some were stoic. And then we heard "I am Sam. Sam I am. I do not like green eggs and ham." Tyler thought that Great-Grandma might like to hear him read - since he had not been able to read when she last saw him this summer. We listened to the story for a short while as we watched her oxygen level drop lower and lower. I asked Tyler to stop reading for a bit, so that Great-Grandma could rest. And then her oxygen level dropped to zero, her heart stopped, and she was gone.

Matt's contribution

Matt drove down from Ponte Vedra to be with Dad. Susan and Chuck were there by the time he arrived, or about the same time. Dad was happy to see him. His instructions from me were to do what ever Chuck and Susan asked of him. He hung with his grandpa. When they left the hospital, he took Dad home and let Dad fuss over him - fix him cheese coneys and watched football until Matt fell asleep - and Dad had to wake him in order to go to bed.
When we arrived at the hospital Sunday, Matt met us in the parking lot and directed us to Mom's room. He staid in the background, but was always available to do the small things that we needed. He occupied Ty and Leah, he and Chuck met Bill and Sharon at the airport, he did a million small things to be helpful. His father and I, his aunts and uncles are so proud of him. He faced Mom's death with bravery.

The Ride Down

Curt, Julie, Tyler, Leah, Lauren, Joe and I rode down in Julie's mini-van. It took us 15 hours - we got there pretty quick. The van was crowded - a person for each seat - luggage, a cooler, snacks, books, Lauren's study material, blankets, pillows, my laptop. Elaine laughed and said we were like the Beverly Hillbilly's. We drove like crazy, ate on the run. We laughed, talked about Mom, slept some, cried some, and listened to many, many readings of Green Eggs and Ham, thanks to Tyler. Lauren was studying about exactly what happened to Mom, and explained some of it - with Curt chiming in. Curt did most of the driving, with Joe substituting for a short while. It was a wonderful time of family sharing a horrible experience and helping each other cope - with a constant background droning "I am Sam, Sam I am, I do not like green eggs and ham".

The Polish Nurse

Mom's main nurse was a woman from Poland. Dad tried to speak to in Polish, basically to say he couldn't speak Polish well. She was wonderful, caring, and realistic. She did all she could do to keep Mom "alive" until we all arrived and had a few minutes with her.

Things to remember

Dad and Mom's friends Beverly and Bob drove Dad to the hospital and stayed with him until Bobby and Ann Bravard arrived. Beverly called Blessed Pope John XXIII Catholic Church, Dad and Mom's parish and asked for the priest to perform the Sacrament of the Sick. The woman she spoke to told her that they did not service Health Park hospital, and that St Columbkille Parish serviced that hospital. Beverly was incensed and said something like "One of your parishioners is dying and has asked for her priest and you say that you don't service that hospital?" The woman said - just a moment please - and put on a man. He explained that St Columbkille Parish serviced that hospital and she said "I went to 12 years of Catholic school, and attitudes like this is why I left the Catholic church. Your parishioner needs you and you are refusing to come. " The man said - someone will be right there.
Apparently the man she spoke to was the pastor - Father Bob Tabbert. He apologized to Dad when he arrived.

Saturday, October 11

On Saturday, while we were in Louisville, we received a frantic call from Julie and Carolyn that Mom had a heart attack or something. The EMT's were at the house stabilizing her for transport. Dad's neighbor's were there to take him to the hospital.
Actually - she had a cerebral hemorrhage. Dad had to give her CPR until the paramedics came. How frightening for him! At the hospital, she was put on a ventilator and the staff worked hard to stabilize her. We contacted Matt and asked him to drive to Ft Myers to be with his Grandpa. Joe and I rushed back from Louisville to Cincinnati, Julie and I had decided to drive to Florida. Before we reached home, I received a call that the family needed to come to Florida, and to hurry. Bobby and Ann Bravard drove over from Cape Coral and stayed with Dad most of the day. Matt arrived about the same time as Sue and Chuck, around 5:00 PM. Elaine arrived around 11:00 pm.

We left Cincinnati at 5:00 PM Saturday - Curt, Julie, Leah, Tyler, Lauren, Joe and I. We arrived in Ft. Myers at 10:30 AM Sunday, spent 5 minutes checking in to the hotel, and left for the hospital. We were there before 11:00. We all spent some time with Mom, as the rest of the family arrived. First Carolyn and Stan, then Bill and Sharon.

Some of our pets

Rocky is afraid of the camera - along with other things.

Sammie likes to lay on the arm and back of my chair.

Sissie is more independent.

The weekend was busy

This image is from Friday night - the sky was actually much more beautiful. I hurried home from work to grab my camera.

Saturday started by going to watch Ty play football and Leah cheer. Ty's number 99.

Then we took them out to lunch at Skyline and then to a horse ranch to see the stables and pet the horses.

Sunday Joe stayed home from the football game and let Curt go - so we watched the kids. Ty and Leah helped me break sticks for kindling, and burn scrap wood. Leah thought the Mary statue needed some perfume - so she sprayed it all over. I polished our toes with some gruesome purple polish which Leah loved and I hated.