All The Things You Are

 You are not your age,

Nor the size of clothes you wear,

You are not a weight,

"Or the color of your hair,

You are not your name;

Or the dimples in your cheeks,

You are all the books you read,

and all the words you speak,

You are your croaky morning voice,

and the smiles you try to hide,

You're the sweetness in your laughter,

and every tear you've cried,

You're the songs you sing so loudly,

When you know you're all alone,

You're the things that you believe in,

And the people that you love, 

You're the photos in your bedroom,

And the future you dream of,

You're made of so much beauty,

But it seems that you forgot,

when you decided that you were defined

by all the things you're not." -e.h.

Happy Valentine's Day

Not Just About A Book Club Hosts A Surprise Birthday Party for Barb and Reads "Has Anyone Seen Luis Velez?"

 On February 10th our book club surprised me with a grand  birthday party.  

 

Complete with "two" birthday crowns!

 

It was a beautiful day, sunny and filled with love.  What a wonderful surprise our book club planned.

 All 11 members were there.

 

Lynda, Kathy

Jo

Karen and Judy

Jeanette and Donna

Maria and Sharon

Barb and Sherri

 

 

 Everyone brought food and drinks.

 

 

There were Galentine presents galore for everyone.

 

And a wonderful chocolate cake and flowers and gifts for me. 

A special cake to blow out my three candles (past, present, and future)

I made a wish

and blew out the candles

 

 

A special thank you to Sharon who hosted the party at her lovely home.

 And to all the book club friends who planned such a wonderful party for me. We are a wonderful group of loving friends.

 

L-R Kathy, Jeanette, Sherri, Jo, Barb, Sharon, Karen, Maria, Donna, Judy and Lynda

 

 And we even managed to have a great discussion about the chosen book "Have You Seen Luis Velez?" by Catherine Ryan Hyde. 

Thank you everyone for making my birthday so special!

                                                     

                                  I love you this much!

 

A Surprise Birthday Celebration

 These covid years have changed the way we all organize many aspects of our lives. The book club I belong to use to meet monthly at one of the members homes with clever book themed luncheons. That changed to zoom meeting after March 2020. In time that dwindled to once every two months. Somewhere in 2021 on the roller coaster of ups and downs of covid cases we met occasionally in a park with masks and air hugs. It was just good to see one another from a distance. Who knew it would come to this. Time marched on. We celebrated birthdays of members by drive bys, honking and waving and blowing kisses from our cars. Unimaginable, for we who were used to celebrating in a big way. The future is still unknown but now we are all vaccinated and boosted and still guarded but seeing with hopeful hearts a light at the end of covid's dark tunnel. Today was a planned book club meeting in person, outdoors on a summery hot afternoon at our member Sharon's  home. Little did I know that my book club friends had planned a wonderful belated birthday celebration for me. It was the most touching and thoughtful surprise. The book choice turned out to be most apropos because it dealt with friendship and kindness and the ways in which relationships can change your life. It was "Has Anyone Seen Luis Velez?" by Catherine Ryan Hyde.  

I wrote this to my fellow book club members:

Dear Book club friends,   Thank you from the bottom of my heart for each and every thoughtful gesture of love in celebration of my 75th birthday.  I have to admit that is a bit of a hard number to accept but you all make it more than okay to say these years have added up to a life which can embrace friendship in the deepest most enriching manner.  You each know how precious your friendship means because each of you has these very friendships in your own life. We are all blessed beyond measure!  Thank you for your generous gifts for my birthday and for "Galentine's day".  All gestures representative of your thoughtfulness and love.  The book turned out to be perfect for this day because of it's theme of kindness and caring.  Each of you has that in your heart and that is the thread that connects us all.  Thank you for all you did to make this "big" birthday so grand!

Love Barb

 

 

Dressed Appropriately?

 

"Once again, I'm not dressed appropriately for the weather."

Happy Birthday Aria

 

 

 "Walking the 

uncommon path is not a certain

victory, but it

does provide the 

greatest possibility

for fulfillment." -Yung Pueblo

May your year ahead continue to bless you with many wonderful adventures and new opportunities for personal happiness and fulfillment. 

 

I love you with all my heart.

 

 

 

 

 

An Angel Earns His Wings

 Written by Eden Balbuena

A friend,Brad changed his address to Heaven yesterday. February 5th.

I met Brad about 25 years or so ago… Online! He was hosting a Divorce Chat Room in the Bay Area. His theme, that I can remember was mostly Financial Survival After a Divorce. He was really good at it although some sessions he probably felt like he was “herding cats”.

Around that time, he met Palma. They fell in love, moved to La Quinta, and got married.

I was one of the lucky ones along with Kathy

who were invited to the wedding!

We have been friends ever since. I try to see Brad and Palma when I visit the desert.

Brad was always the gentle man, kind, soft spoken, and ever the welcoming host when I went to see them… from Redwood Shores, to La Quinta, to Palm Desert, to Indio!

He was gentleman personified!

I always loved to watch him shower Palma with his love… he truly adored her… from the symbolism of the penguins loyalty to one love… to the joy he showed in this photo at their wedding!

He walked in / waltzed in to “Going To The Chapel Of Love” !

He was so happy, so full of joy, his personality just shows how glorious it was for him to be marrying Palma, and such positivity for their future together.

They had 24 years together and that just don’t seem long enough.

Brad, you’ve been a great friend to so many. We will miss you. Palma earned an Angel yesterday!

Palma, I, along with many, send our love to you.