Goodbye & God Speed Margie

“Goodbye & God Speed Margie”
June 15, 1953 - October 9, 2005

She was one of four children, girls were they all
Poor Uncle Pete should’ve owned a mall

Sometime around “66” or maybe “65”
Mom, Margie and the little ones moved to Brainard Drive

Margie worked selling donuts and then fried chicken
Needless to say, there was a lot of finger “lickin”

She sold Avon, and Bingo she would play
She could listen to Barry Manilow every single day

She didn’t have a child, not the 2 legged kind
But she had her Abby, and they loved each other just fine

She loved her bears, there were so many of Boyd’s
It wouldn’t be a surprise, if they were insured by Lloyds

She Loved Victorian décor all over her house
But oh dear god, she couldn’t stand a mouse

She loved watching skaters, over the ice they would soar
But she wouldn’t stand for any marks on her floor

She worked at Goodrich & then PolyOne
But it was off to Las Vegas when she wanted some fun

We were surprised that gambling was her thing
But maybe it was just the sound of the slots going ching ching

As if personally responsible for everyone’s lips
Her purse wouldn’t contain less than five or six chapsticks

She quietly gave, her family, friends and many a cause
She was rather like, an everyday Santa Clause

She loved Stancato’s and Louie too
But most of all, she loved all of you

She love all of you, in many ways,
That’s why you’ve been asked to gather today

She’s still giving, even after her souls flight
We just learned that she gave two, the precious gift of sight

While her body gave up at too young an age
Always remember, her soul was set free, like a dove from a cage

Our Margie,
A Person Well Loved, And a Life Well Lived

Passion

I want to live.
No more halfhearted efforts
No more half-baked ideas
No more half-full glasses
Just wholehearted, fresh-baked,
overflowing life.

I want to live on purpose.
No more aimless wandering
No more squandered existence
No more squelched ambition
Just on-target, death-defying,
carpe diem courage.

I want to live in connection.
No more superficial engagement
No more destructive pleasures
No more cold rationality
Just bone-deep, life-affirming,
stream-fed intuition.

I want to live with joy.
No more sour grapes
No more jaded cynicism
No more inflated self-importance
Just awe-filled, enthusiastic,
openhearted passion.

I want to live
on purpose, in connection, with joy.
I want to live
filled with courage, guided by intuition,
centered in passion.
I want to live.

- Bob Tschannen-Moran (c) 2003

On the Dark Side of The Son

Today is my eldest sons 16th birthday. Happy Birthday #1!; even though you’ll probably never see this blog. It’s a funny thing the way relationships develop and change over time. It’s actually quite painful sometimes. The baby became a boy, and the boy a young man. And by all accounts, a fine young man according to teachers, coaches and parents of friends. But, as for me, I envy the relationship they all seem to be able to enjoy with him. I rarely can get the time of day from him; it’s usually an unintelligible grunt. Unless of course he needs something from me, then it’s rather clear. I guess this is probably normal, I don’t know. I’d like to think that I’m doing everything right for him, but I’m sure I’m not. After all, he did not come with a manual. I do struggle to maintain a balance between parent and not too much friend, but I don’t think he wants or needs me as a friend. Ironically, his friends seem to enjoy my company. I guess that’s why I think it’s more about the “us” and less about him or me individually. I do often try to solicit his opinions or feeling on things, and offer mine when asked….or not asked.  When he does ask about things, we usually go pretty deep. I generally don’t like short answers as they don’t usually do a question justice and rarely offer any relevance. On occasion he even seems to enjoy the long way around an issue. He is extremely intelligent, insightful and clever. He’s one of those people that “gets it” no matter what it is. I know that he hears me and is listening, maybe it’s just the way he processes things. I hear him "talk" or see him IM to and with his friends, offering an ear, and maybe some advice about their issues. He sounds a lot like me. I guess my ego is grateful for that. But I can’t help but wonder why he accepts my lessons/wisdom, but does not seem to accept or want to be around me. There was a time when he lived to see me come through the door. Now he rarely sees me at all. I know that he knows that I am always here for him. I am trying to be patient, hoping that eventually I’ll come back around from the dark side into his light again. It’s kind of like watching life through a 2-way mirror, being able to see and hear everything, but not being able to be a part of it.  

The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance. 
- Nathaniel Branden