Happy 31 to someone special

Thirty years ago today my last child, the sprinkles on my sundae of life, was celebrating his first birthday. As the old saying goes: "the days are long but the years are short". Yes, some of those days were very long but now I find myself asking, "How did those 31 years go so fast and how fast will the next 31 go?" Today, on his birthday, as I do a mental rewind of his life I can do nothing but smile at the happiness he has brought to us. He was a funny, quirky, ACTIVE, happy and affectionate little boy. So many images. But some of them I have to put on pause so I can savor the moments that I remember best.


Damon was known for "bad hair days". He was nicknamed "Yoda" by his brother's contemporaries.

He was a hard working student, even when it came to doing things he REALLY hated and just didn't get.....like writing stories. He'd bang his head on the table and cry in exasperation "I just can't think of ANYTHING to say".


He always loved things with wheels, even at a very early age.



He loved dressing up in suit jackets. Every school picture has him adorned to the nines. He always had to have a jacket in his closet.


And he was still doing it in high school. But things have changed. I'm not even sure he owns a suit jacket today. The jacket has been taken over by the t-shirt with techie sayings plastered across the front.



Damon was always a warm and affectionate little guy, generous with the hugs and snuggles.

He loved his Dad.


He loved his Grandpa Joe.


He believed in Santa Claus. (There really is a Santa Claus, you know)




He played basketball, even making a 3 point shot once......in the other team's basket.


And he played soccer. And played soccer. And played soccer.


But just to balance it all out, he could play a really mean piano.



He always treated the opposite sex with respect and always had lots of girls who were "friends". Just a babe magnet. When he was little............



.......And when he was older.




But he wasn't perfect. Sometimes he did things he shouldn't do. (takes after his father that way)



He graduated from Taft.



And then graduated from RIT.



From the time he was able to move fingers across a key board he had a real affinity for the computer. I mean, really, what child would write a paper on Mozart in the 3rd grade and dedicate it to "my computer"?? I always thought the first dedication of most children would be to their "mother". Right? He was steadfast and unwavering in his passion for the computer and has now started his own successful business.



We're so proud of you, Damon. Happy 31st to a really neat young man. May you enjoy many more happy and sweet years.

Good-bye To My Mimsy

MY MIMSY
10-10-1921 - 7/20/2011

Last Saturday was the annual Antiquarian Book Fair at Searles Castle in Great Barrington. Each year, for many years, my mother would drive from her home in Glastonbury to my house and we would drive together to the book fair. My sister would drive down from Albany and we would meet her there. It was an event we all looked forward to.
We loved poking around the old books, looking for a forgotten treasure. We loved going out for lunch together afterward. Most of all we just loved being with each other. We loved laughing together. We loved exchanging stories. We were with the people we felt most comfortable with. They were special moments in time that can never be forgotten. Even though her health prevented her from going to the fair the past few years, I still went and called her up as soon as I got home to relay the adventures of my day. Sometimes I would buy her a special book.

This Saturday I did not go to the fair. Instead, on that day, I said good-bye to my dear life-long friend and mother at a memorial service that was fitting in it's simplicity.

I said goodbye to the person who has known me the longest. The person who has been with me every step of my life, and even before. She loved me intensely even before I was born. One of the last things she said to me was "I love you".

She was funny, quirky, intelligent, creative and in love with motherhood. She taught me to love the written word. She made me laugh. She taught me to ALWAYS wash my hands after being in a public place. She taught me to be kind to those less fortunate. She taught me that "handsome is as handsome does". She taught me that......
"There is so much good in the worst of us, And so much bad in the best of us, That it hardly behooves any of us, To talk about the rest of us".....
Oh yes, she also taught me the love of quotes. She grounded me when I needed it (yes, I was naughty). She loved me even when I didn't deserve it. She never judged me or criticized. She taught me how to enjoy the simple things in life, like a sparkling autumn day or the sound of the katy-dids on a warm summer night. She was there when I left for school in the morning and she was always there when I came home. She taught me to accept what life deals out to you.


There was nothing she loved more in life than her children. She was the happiest when we were all together. At the nursing home where she lived her last two years they had a "Just One Wish" program. If your name was chosen they would grant a wish for you. One man wanted to see a Red Sox game so they took him to Boston. When my mother's name was chosen the thing she wanted the most was to be together with all her children. Her wish was granted with a steak, lobster and wine dinner for all her children and their spouses at the nursing home. It was one of her happiest memories there.


I miss her so. Especially in the late afternoon when I used to call her each day. There wasn't much to say because her world had gotten so small..."What did you do today, Mom?" "Oh, the usual". It was a wonderful connection on the days I couldn't visit. She left a message on my phone once when I was away for the weekend, just to tell me that she missed me and she loved me. I can't bring myself to delete it from my voice mail. It's as if a tiny part of her is still here. My mother always used to say to me, when I was young and living on the farm, "We may be poor but we're rich in land and love". I'm also rich in memories. Thanks for those memories, Mimsy.