Holidays

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone, and while it was lonely without Mike, there were so many people around, it was okay.  As a matter of fact, this is the thing about all holidays.  You think they would be the most difficult times, but they really aren't due to the fact that they are so busy and full of people who care.  Mike was great to have around at Thanksgiving to keep me company while I cooked (because he definitely didn't cook!),  He was always fun to have around at Christmas because he always had such an appreciation for why Christmas comes - and he always made sure I had wine in my glass while I decorated the tree - because his only contribution to the tree was to put it in the stand, have a Manhattan and tell me how lovely the tree looked!!

The difficult times, I find, are those which were so personal.  By that, I mean, the early morning coffee full of conversation and laughter; the evening cocktail hour full of conversation and laughter about each day's activities!  Even, the time when you find yourselves unable to sleep at three in the morning, so you make coffee, watch reruns of Law & Order, and laugh about not being able to sleep.  Yes, the bottom line is the times you shared laughing about so many things.  Those times were so great to have and, for lack of a better word, crappy not to have any more.  Just a reminder of the things we so easily take for granted!

Attending St. Simon's By The Sea last week served as a great reminder of what comfort there is in going to church; so much so, that I actually tried it at the Presbyterian church this morning and found it quite satisfying.

So, while you all are probably tired of this reminder, I must once again say - hug, kiss, remind those about whom you care of your feelings.  No one can hear it too often. 

Saturday, I will be leaving North Carolina for Ohio.  It has been a wonderful visit here.  Everyone has been quite wonderful, but I am also looking forward to seeing the grandchildren for Christmas.  Thanks for tuning in.  Ricci

Wandering and Wondering!!

It is only two days away from Thanksgiving, and nearly half a year since Mike died.  Seems impossible that he has been gone that long!  It certainly is lonely without him here everyday!  The realization, though, that I had 27 great years with him is also with me everyday!

It has been several weeks since I have posted, mostly because I hate to be a whiner! 

I did make some window treatments for my friend, Barb, and I believe she really likes them.  Also, it is very good therapy to create something!  Aside from the valances, it is always nice to spend time with someone who has been a friend for so many years!  It is also hard to believe we are old enough to say we have been friends for over 35 years!!

From Barb's, I drove up to Carolina Beach, NC, where my younger son lives.  Going to your child's home is also good therapy because they are always so happy to see you.  His girlfriend and her children are also delightful and make me feel like they are delighted to see me.

This is a lovely little town, right on the Atlantic Ocean and is cool, but not freezing!  By the way, if you ever get down this way, be sure to visit the Treehouse Bistro (run by Two Wine Guys at The Grind)!  A lovely little coffee house, wine bar and tapas restaurant.  The food is great and the atmospere is such that you cannot help but have a great deal of fun!

Last Wednesday, I drove up to Virginia Beach, VA to spend a little time with my husband's brother and wife.  The drive up was beautiful since all the leaves are turning color - and it certainly isn't something you see much of in Florida!  Aside from taking a wrong turn somewhere in North Carolina and going in about a 60 mile circle, the trip was just fine. 

My brother and sister-in-law were just as nice as they could be.  I know it was hard for my brother-in-law since Mike was his only sibling and didn't get the chance to see Mike before he died.  Anyway, we had a lovely visit, they were very generous with the wine and we shared great memories!

Back in Carolina Beach now, we will be having an oyster roast to kick off the Thanksgiving weekend (I don't know what an oyster roast is, but Shawn assures me it will be good - and fun).

Several things have come to me in the last week however.  One is that God surely does work in mysterious ways!  While in Lakewood for my 50th high school reunion, I reconnected with a woman with whom I had gone through jr. high and high school.  She became an Episcopal minister (and, yes, that long ago we would never have thought that would be her "calling"!) and is now at St. Simon's By The Sea in Virginia Beach, VA.  Well, on Sunday, I attended her service (and everyone should go once - it is a little tiny church - very friendly - and she is absolutely wonderful!).  After church, she not only treated me to lunch, but her church made an extremely generous donation to my journey!  I am definitely a very lucky person.

The second thing is that I find a am absolutely terrible at doing nothing (I am even getting tired of NOT working out - it seems I gave it up when Mike died - so December 1 is that day to return to that!!).  While I am looking forward to continuing my journey, I think I will have to find something constructive to do along the way.  Perhaps I will try to contact Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter to see if I could volunteer at Habitat for Humanity along the way, thereby killing two birds with one stone, so to speak.

So, thanks for listening, have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and be sure to hug everyone you care about.  Ricci

Five Months

Yesterday, it was actually five months since Gina and I lost Mike.  It seems like such a long time ago that I last saw him.  Yet, in another way, it seems like just a minute ago.  Twenty-seven years is a long time.  You really don't realize how much a part of your being another person can be.  We just take for granted that it will go on and on.  So, whatever else you do, be sure to hug that person in your life, express your love, and hope it goes on for a long, long time.  It is very lonely once he or she is gone!

Today, I will try to take my mind off it by making some window treatments for Barb before I move on to South Carolina.  It has been a while since I made any, so I am crossing my fingers that I still can do it satisfactorally. 

Thanks for following, and I'll try to be a little more cheerful next time.  Ricci

1st stop Siesta Key

89.1 miles to my first stop.  After sobbing all the way over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge (and having poor Gina trying to lick away my tears), I arrived in Siesta Key with my composure gained.  Lynn and Al were wonderful to me - treating me like a princess.  Sue and John were just as nice as they were in 1960.  Siesta Key is a beautiful place, but it doesn't have the fishing pier that is located on Sanibel Island, so I know Mike would not have missed being here!!

Al and I played golf on Monday and I actually hit some reasonably good shots.  He took Lynn and me to dinner Monday night before leaving on Tuesday and it was such a pleasant, relaxing evening. 

The next stop is Parrish, FL; then on the Greenville, S. C. to see my niece.  I wll be sure to let you know about South Carolina.  Thanks for tuning in!  Ricci