One Book Complete and The Sequal Continues

Friday, May 21

After a service where Veronica's Irish prayer was read

along with Yuriko's lovely sentiment,

 we laid my mom to rest beside my dad

and next to my brothers, Butch and Chuck....

and then we proceeded to celebrate her life

with laughter, food,

stories, and more.

Here's a typical sight at an Irish funeral

(or maybe just at a Helme funeral:)...

a cooler full of "cold ones"

to offer up a toast...

We made our way over to the Mark Twain Diner

in Union to feast with the family and friends.

Here's my brother, Jimmy, making the

rounds of the tables.....

A table of cousins and Uncle...

A table of Grandkids and a little Great....

The books continue ~ Lucy and Hope

(Nana's two Great-Granddaughters)...

Jimmy assigned to some Lucy duty. 

They seemed to be getting along

quite well...

The Patriarch of the family,

my Uncle Leo, getting some love

from me and Donna (or visa-versa)...

From Union we jumped over to

Hoboken

(Rae, Mish & Hope, Robert & Christa)...

 

...since some of us in the crowd are

Cake Boss fans,

and we couldn't resist taking a detour...

 

And as we were sitting across the street from the bakery,

(and actually on a side street)

eating our cannoli....

The Cake Boss, himself, came strolling by

(someone up above was smiling down as

The Cake Boss is Hope's favorite show!)...

We strolled down the alley behind the bakery

where Michelle had a Marilyn Monroe moment,

much to the delight of one of the bakers...

We then hopped over to Courtney's apartment. 

Courtney is my cousin, Cheryl's daughter.

Cheryl and I were best buddies growing up, and it was

great for the two of us watching our children

get acquainted

(Cheryl's in the middle; I know you're mistaking

her for one of the kids!).....

This is the view at the end of

Courtney's street about a block away from her place

(OK, Courtney, I have an idea...let's swap places

for a week!!!).

Spectacular....

The next stop was

Liberty State Park...

...where my girls wanted to reminisce

about a visit years ago with their Nana and PopPop

(the Twin Towers were very much missed,

as are my mom and dad)...

I have to say it's official; the Empire State Building

is my all time favorite building.

I've been to the top only once as a child with my

brother, Chuck.  My mom and dad waited on the

sidewalk below (LOL)...

We were reluctant to leave, but there was

more on the agenda, as in a good

night's sleep.

To be continued, a recap of day two......

1925~2010 A Life Remembered

"We spend our days asking ourselves

what is the meaning of life.

Your news today has caused me rather

to look at the meaning of death.

And I've come to the conclusion

that death is the fulfillment of life.

Chapter after chapter,

Jean's pages tell stories of joy,

laughter and challenging times...as it should be...

her childhood,

young romances,

friendships,

hopes both achieved and dashed;

her marriage,

her beloved children, her grandchildren and her great-granddaughters.

Now the book is complete...

the wonderous fulfillment of a wonderful life."

~message from Yuriko

This is Why I Celebrate Today (and Always)...

A New Man In My Life...

We spend pleasant mornings together,
checking our verse for the day

while watching the early sailboats go by,

 or the crabbers checking their traps

with a flock of hopeful pelicans in their wake.

                                                      

He's smooth, taste-full. His name is Don, and is Columbian!
   He is special(ty).

Ha-ha - gotcha!...

For those of you who know me well

you know I have been a

tea drinker

for the past 50 years.
(Note the title of my Blogspot)

Hot tea in the morning and night

Ice tea thoughout the day :)

But Don has captured my heart

(but just in the mornings :)

I can relate to all of you

coffee drinkers out there...

so looking forward to that first cup in the morning.

I'm there.

And lovin it!

Smokin' D's

I'm NOT a bar-b-que person.

Or is it barbecue

or

BBQ

THAT being said...

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE

Smokin' D's

on the corner of 206 and Rt. 1

I can rarely drive by without stopping in and buying something with their

Alabama sauce on it!

(And it doesn't hurt that the owner's son, Cameron, always addresses me

as Darlin' when I stop by :)

(And it, also, doesn't hurt that playing in     the background is the best mix
of blues around)

My family and friends who have had the chance to also partake of the

smokehouse chicken, ribs, pork, brisket or turkey

along with "bodacious baked beans" (the best), or

"southern yellow rice" (yummm) or "mouth-watern' cole slaw" (my mouth is watering)

feel the same about these delectable delights!

Sometimes I question their motive for making their way over to St. A...

visiting me or stopping by for some of the best BBQ in existence.

Smokin' Daryl taking a constant stream of orders during lunch

(he refers to Christa as "high maintenance"... I wonder why?!     hee-hee)

A normal sight - local work crews stopping by for lunch, which is a sure sign of a good eatery.

(A couple of the guys were wondering about my motive for taking their pic - thus, no faces LOL)

And here's Bob keeping an
eye on the smoker.


From their menu after a reference to various means of
guessing how much meat they need for the day...
"After which we rub our butts (the shoulder, silly)..."








Their hours are "Open When We're Smokin'"

Yummmm.........                                      One happy porker.......

They only have outside dining...

and if there's not room there, then you have...

and nostalgia is all around...

So, if you find yourself in the area known as

 Dupont Center

be sure to stop by Smokin' D's

and tell them Debbie, the lover of Alabama Sauce, sent you.

You won't be disappointed!

(As a side note:

it is believed the word "barbeque" is derived from the

Timucua Indians
who lived in my neck of the woods
of Florida.
[and I choose the phrase
"neck of the woods"
because it sounds more bar-b-que-ish])

Fondly...

Ethan's mother is a sender of cards. 

 And what a gift that is. 

  Receiving a pastel colored envelope on occasion  amidst the junk mail and bills. 

Not only is she a diligent deliverer of sweet sentiment,

but her complimentary closing is always...

Fondly,

(having a liking or affection for)

Once again, what a gift...

It warms the heart

to know you are being thought of

fondly.

So today, family and friends,

know that I am thinking of each of you.

I like you

I am fond of you!

You enrich my life.
The world (my world)
is a better place because of you
and
I pray for blessings
in each of your lives.

This is my card to you

(minus the colorful envelope, sad to say, and the sweet surprise of arrival in the mail)

Fondly,
Deb

 

Rays of Hope ~Henri Nouwen

Rays of Hope

                                            ~Henri Nouwen      



Dear Lord, risen Lord, light of the world, to you be all praise and glory! This day, so full of your presence, your joy, your peace, is indeed your day.

I just returned from a walk through the dark woods. It was cool and windy, but everything spoke of you. Everything: the clouds, the trees, the wet grass, the valley with its distant lights, the sound of the wind. They all spoke of your resurrection; they all made me aware that everything is indeed good. In you all is created good, and by you all creation is renewed and brought to an even greater glory than it possessed at its beginning.

As I walked through the dark woods at the end of this day, full of intimate joy, I heard you call Mary Magdalene by her name and heard how you called from the shore of the lake to your friends to throw out their nets. I also saw you entering the closed room where your disciples were gathered in fear. I saw you appearing on the mountain and at the outskirts of the village. How intimate these events really are. They are like special favors to dear friends. They were not done to impress or overwhelm anyone, but simply to show that your love is stronger than death.

O Lord, I know now that it is in silence, in a quiet moment, in a forgotten corner that you will meet me, call me by name and speak to me a word of peace. It is in my stillest hour that you become the risen Lord to me.

Dear Lord, I am so grateful for all you have given me this past week. Stay with me in the days to come. Bless all who suffer in this world and bring peace to your people, whom you loved so much that you gave your life for them. Amen.