Leave In Silence

Leave In Silence

On angels' wings, through crystal skies

On unseen currents with silent cries

Gliding with purpose from goodness and light

Searching for answers under cover of night

A star like a beacon promises all pain will cease

Pulling you closer with a false sense of peace

But the light that has drawn you no longer feels pure

Its tainted aura surrounds you with a sinister allure

Too late you realize you have to turn back

For the light of your star has gone suddenly black

Its beckoning beams were all but a ruse

Darkness presses in, constricting like a noose

The wings that had carried you furl in on themselves

For it's the place you'd just left where your happiness dwells.

Justine, 1-14-11

Some Kind of Wonderful

My girls have always given me a special morning on Mother's Day, but this year they went beyond any expectations I could have had.




Jimmy has been in Germany, so they were on their own this year and I have to say they out-did themselves!  Maybe because Jimmy is in Germany?




They know I don't like to eat until I've been up a couple of hours, so no breakfast in bed this year.  Instead, I got to have my computer time outside and made a reservation for brunch at 11:00.




When I went inside, there was a hostess stand (folding table) set up where Mikayla handed me my buzzer (her cell phone) that I was to take into the lounge (family room) to wait until my table was ready.




When my buzzer went off I was led to the table where I was handed a menu that the girls had made together.  Madison did the table/graph part because Mikayla forgot how, and Mikayla did most of the decorating of it.

I opened my menu to find this.

 Check out beverages.  Water:  If tap, free.  If not, one hug per pet.  Heeheehee.

I made it super easy for them by ordering a whole wheat bagel with cream cheese, a side of cottage cheese, a cup of coffee and some ice water.  (Not tap).

Those fuzzy pipe cleaners are flower-shaped rings they made me.  Awwwww.

One of my personal chefs toiling in the kitchen.

Wow, the kitchen was a mess, wasn't it?




Before I began eating, I was instructed to look under my plate.

Weeeeeee!

One of my favorite gifts was this poem written by Madison at school.  I sense Jimmy's influence in some of these lines but the purity and innocence of this poem had me giggling and beaming with pride at the same time.  My girl so gets me!

Now tell me that's not the best poem ever!




My girls gave me the best Mother's Day morning EVER, so I just had to bring them out shopping as a thank you.  New bathing suits, shorts, Silly Bandz and lots of (in Mikayla's words) lollygagging around, made for an exhausted but very happy me.




After our dinner of grilled NY strips, I finally got out the cordless drill so the girls could stick straws in the coconut we'd bought and drink the coconut water.

Aw, look at sweet Strudel!

It was fairly easy to do... when the drill wasn't in reverse.  Ahem.  Thank you, Mikayla, for pointing that out.

And then it was time to take a taste.

Madison looks on with anticipation.

Well?  How is it Mikayla?  Is it good?  Did we pick a perfect coconut, or what?

Oops.




How was I supposed to know it was rotten on the inside?




Mikayla said it tasted like...




I can't even say it, so instead I'll use Madison's term...




It tasted like...




#3!!!!



I'm still feeling guilty about the mouthful of rotten coconut water Mikayla swallowed.





Next time?  Smell first, sip second!

Words To The Dog

I want to thank you all so much for all the kind words you've shared, your prayers and your love.  I'm still struggling with the loss of Poo... in fact just spent another 15 minutes or so bawling my eyes out.  I've lost quite a few family members over the years and never doubted that they'd gone to heaven and were watching over me. 

But since Poo crossed over, my faith in heaven seems to be slipping.  What if she's not there?  What if I really will never see her again?  What if she doesn't know how much I love her?

I know this is not something that any of you can help me with.  I have to work through it on my own.  And even though I no longer practice the Catholic faith, it did soothe me a bit to read that in 1993 Pope John Paul II stated that animals do, in fact, have a soul, and go to heaven.  I pray it's true.

Anyway, yesterday Jimmy wrote a poem to honor Poo and I thought I would share it with you.

Here come some more tears.

Words To The Dog

I came into their lives when everything was new,

From that point on they were never just two.

Dreams yet spoken,

Were not made or broken.

I was the keeper of what is good,

During this time all was understood.

Living free and day to day,

It was quite fun-- I have to say.

I loved these two -- my mom and dad,

Along came another which was not too bad.

A lion at heart,

She and I were there from the start.

We saw creatures come and go,

We saw rain and we saw snow.

 We started north and traveled south,

Soon we added the girl with the birdie mouth.

She was the special one -- the first of two,

Our lives changed -- we had something to do.

We stood guard over those girls,

From diapers to little curls.

We saw them laugh and saw them cry,

We were to love them until we die.

We saw them off on their first day of school,

And lost some whiskers to some prehistoric tool.

At night we watched over their dreams,

It was purr-fect -- so it seems.

We managed with dignity and grace,

And kept the family's endless pace.

God has a way of knowing,

And we thought he had a way of showing.

Then to our dismay,

You came that sunny warm day.

You are clumsy and rude,

You would lick my face -- how shrewd!

My angels were moving faster and faster,

You, I feared were another disaster.

You are impatient -- thirsting for fun,

I slowly began to think that you were the one.

To watch my angels lives continue to unfold,

Because my days are waning as I am growing old.

I think it is time to pass on my meow,

For your simple bow wow.

I pass the torch, my canine friend,

For my time has come to an end.

Please watch over them for me,

Until they are ready to be set free.

There are tough times ahead,

So remember to choose carefully when going to bed.

Under your watch they will grow up,

And before long you will no longer be a pup.

There will be graduation days, proms and gowns, 

All the time there will be ups and downs.

Take it all in for a while,

And when in doubt flash that genuine smile.

I trust you will prevail,

For now I must set sail.

Meow Meow.

J. Oko March, 2010

For my family and Poo, rest in peace.

Pssst! If you love me, you might love my stupid sister more. Go visit her at Jill's Believe it or Not, and tell her I sent you!

The Bee's Needs

Today I'm once again joining in a blog "carnival" in hopes of winning an HD Flip camera. Today's carnival is hosted by Mama Kat over at Mama's Losin' It. One of the options for extra entries was to write a poem from one my children's Halloween costumes, to them. Mikayla is a bumble bee this year, so here goes nothing.

I need to make some honey
So thick and sweet and runny

But we're walking house to house
hour after hour
The people hand you candy
but I'm in need of a flower

I must collect some pollen
to make my own sweet treat
Without the taste of honey
my life won't be complete

I'm really not too picky
about the flora, little lass
But if I don't get some quickly
you'll find my stinger in your ass

Pssst! If you love me, you might love my stupid sister more. Go visit her at Jill's Believe it or Not, and tell her I sent you!