Our granddaughter Michelle took her Confirmation yesterday.  After church, we had a really nice party for her.  Michelle is our second youngest grandchild and is fifteen. 

I remember when I took my Confirmation.  I was just eleven and in the sixth grade.  We (both boys and girls) wore red robes.  The girls also wore a red "beanie" (a little hat that just covered the top of your head).  I got to wear my first pair of stockings and dress shoes.  It was a very big deal.

Today, the young people go to class for two years, make retreats, and do forty hours of community service; just to name of few of the things that are expected of them before the big day.  The average age is 15-16 and a Sophomore or Junior in high school.  The are no robes; just a nice outfit.   Times have changed a lot.

It seems like the only thing that has not changed is the meaning behind Confirmation itself.  The church service is still pretty much the same with the Bishop administering the Sacrament to each individual.    I guess it really doesn't matter what you wear or how old you are, it is just a special time for young Catholics.

This is the first time that I will be posting an entry since last year.  Many things have changed in my life in the time that I have been away.   With all that has gone on, it is hard to know where to start.  There have been deaths, a wedding, babies born, reunions, graduations, and trips taken, just to name a few.  I will attempt to capture each of these items in my blogs that follow.    

Until next time.

Three weeks ago, my husband and I would have celebrated our 49th wedding anniversary. He would always buy me flowers for our anniversary. I knew, of course, there would be no flowers this year.

That afternoon, there was a knock at my door. It was a delivery person from a local florist. He had a vase of red roses and a frame that held my husband's picture and a poem entitled "Remember Me". The picture of my husband was taken at his birthday just a very short time before he became ill. It is not a fancy picture but he has a big smile and he is wearing his SU sweatshirt. He looks exactly like I want to remember him.

I opened the card that accompanied it and saw that my daughter Cathy had sent this wonderful gift. On the card she had written "Dad would have sent these if he were here". What a beautiful, thoughtful gesture. I called her immediately to thank her. She just said she had the florist put the roses in a vase so that she would not have to come over and arrange them for me. She was making light of the situation, but I know she really knew how special this was to me.

Of course, I want to share the poem with you.

In my last blog, I mentioned my Memorial Bench. I would like to tell you a little bit more about it. First of all it was given to me by my nephew Michael, my niece Margaret, and their family for my birthday. My niece Margaret said they wanted to give me something special and they certainly did. Anyone reading my blog as of lately knows that my husband passed away this summer. This bench is in his memory.

The bench arrived in two very heavy boxes. It is made up of three pieces; the bench top and the two legs. The bench seat is engraved with a beautiful poem. I wanted to make sure that it was handled very carefully so as not to chip or break anything. I called my son Butch to assemble this for me as he is very meticulous about everything he does (just like his Dad). I knew he would be extra careful.

At first, I thought I would put the bench on my front deck. It is called a Garden Bench and I really do not have a proper garden in which to put it, but after very little thought, I knew that I would not want it outside. I wanted it where I would see it all the time. I decided to put it in my living room in front of a window. This is also where my husband's mother's African Violet plant is along with two other African Violet plants given to me by my granddaughters Dana and Michelle. I would have my own garden spot, but inside.

I picked the living room because my husband spent many hours in this room next to the fireplace. He liked to go there to read the paper or sometimes just relax. Because the bench is by the window, when the sun is out it shines on the bench. To me, it is the perfect spot. When my sister Pat came to visit one day, she said the bench was missing something. She then took a small picture that I have of my husband in his Army uniform and put it on the corner of the bench. She said "There, now it's perfect".

I would like to end this blog with the poem that is on the bench. It reflects my sentiments perfectly.

I thought of you with love today but that is nothing new

I thought about you yesterday and days before that too

I think of you in silence. I often speak your name

All I have is memories and your picture in a frame

Your memory is my keepsake with which I'll never part

God has you in His keeping, I have you in my heart

Thank you Mike, Margaret, Taylor, Michael, Joshua, and Maggie

I am back. I have not written anything in my blog since August. Lots of things have happened since my last blog, I had a birthday and an anniversary in September. There were also several birthdays and a couple of anniversaries celebrated by members of my immediate family. Fall has always been a busy time (in particular the month of September) for my family; lots of milestones.

This year it has been difficult for me to celebrate these happy occasions without my husband. I have found it hard to write just my name at the bottom of cards. On cards that I have given to our children, I just put some kisses. I don't know if it would make them feel sad not seeing their Dad's name there, so I substitute names with kisses.

In addtion to the happy celebrations, we also have had very sad issues to deal with. A very short time after my husband passed away, a very favorite niece of ours was diagnosed with *** cancer. She is a wonderful young woman. She is a teacher and has four young children. Even with all of her own problems, she has been a great support for me. She gave me a Remembrance Angel figurine and a candle. They are next to my huband's picture. I burn the candle every night. Also, for my birthday, she and her family gave me a beautiful memorial bench. I will write about that sometime very soon.

My high school class reunion is next year. I was contacted by a class member who is pretty much organizing the whole thing. I have visited with him a few times via e-mail. After my husband passed away, I asked if he could contact someone for me who was a very close friend in high school, Over the years, we lost contact and she has moved to N. Carolina. My husband and I had double dated many times with her and her boyfriend and I wanted her to know of his passing. He did contact her and she in turn e-mailed me. We have shared many e-mails since then and it has been great catching up. Hopefully, she will come back home next year for the reunion and I will get to see her.

I have gone back to teaching my religion class on Monday nights. Normally, I have 10 - 12 students. This year, I have seventeen and most of them are boys. Hope I can get through this...............

I realize I am rambling on about unrelated things, but pretty much I am writing whatever is coming into my head. I am going to try to get back on track and get back to blog writing. Until next time.

While I was looking through the statistics of my blog, I noticed that I wrote my first blog just a year ago. I remember wondering what I could possibly write about and a year later I still have something to say. I have not posted anything in quite a while due to the difficulties of losing my husband, but I thought it was probably time to do so again.

My daughter Susan�s birthday was Sunday. A few years back, I wrote a poem for her birthday. As you read this poem, you will be able to see how special she is.

I can hardly believe your birthday is here Where did the time go, year after year?

You came to us on a Sunday morn When the church bells were ringing, an angel was born

Curly black hair and a pugged up nose Two sweet little lips as pink as a rose

We named you Susan, a name I love so For my dolls that I played with a long while ago

A tiny new sister for Cathy that day She thought you her doll for her to play

You grew into a sweet little girl With big brown eyes and hair that would curl

You were painfully bashful, as shy as can be Who spent a lot of her time behind her daddy�s knee

You sucked your thumb and held on to your dypie Security for you, I guess that most likely

Soon a little brother came your way Another little one for you to play

Very obedient, a mom�s dream come true There was very little wrong you ever did do

A good little girl and a teenager too Never any trouble we got from you

You played musical instruments and fixed your hair Then off to beautician school for you to prepare

A career ahead waiting for you To cut and comb and style hair too

Shortly later you said, �I do� To have your own home and family too

A few years passed and you were blessed with a daughter Hard to believe, you were now a mother

You worked very hard to make a good home Cooking and cleaning, not far you did roam

After a while, nine years had passed When along came another, two girls at last

You spent lots of time with both of them Your first thought always from beginning to end

You�ve had your ups and some downs too But you�ve always managed to pull right through

Your father and I are very proud of you In all you�ve accomplished and in all that you do

Now it�s your birthday, what more can we say But we hope you�ll be happy for the rest of your days

But remember this one thing I want you to know However how old and wherever you go

No matter how many birthdays there happens to be You�re still our little girl to your father and me

Happy Birthday Susan

Father�s Day this year was a little different for our family because we spent it in a hospital room with my husband. As each one arrived, I took their picture with their Dad/Grandpa. We ate Ham sandwiches from Arby�s and had doughnuts from Dunkin Donuts. In the past, I usually made a big dinner or perhaps we had a picnic depending on the weather. This meal was a little different, but that�s okay because we were together like always.

I know Father�s Day has passed, but I would still like to share a poem I wrote for my husband a while back. Again, it tells you a little bit about what a great Husband and Dad he truly was.

Honey,

You are the love of my life

Blessed was the day I became your wife

Good times many, bad times few

But one thing was left for you to do

To be a Dad to a sweet little one

Maybe a daughter or maybe a son

Our dream then came true for me and for you

A daughter called Cathy so sweet and so new

A little while gone and we had yet another

Her name we called Susan � all we need now a brother

Our two little girls you loved them so

So good a Dad, it�s hard to know

A little while yet another will be

A son we called �Butch� now our family complete

You were always there through the good and the bad

The best Dad that three kids ever had

You worked very hard to give them all that you could

Some days were tough, but so many were good

You always found time for love and for play

Even at the end of a very long day

We watched them grow into women and man

To have our grandchildren � the best in the land

They call you �Papa� or �Grandpa� or sometimes just �Gramps�

But each one and all, they think you�re a champ

You love them so much from the big to the small

It seems like you�re always at their beckoning call

You�ve earned the name Father and now Grandpa too

You�re one in a million and that�s why I love you

I thought today I might post the poem that I wrote for my husband when he retired. His retirement took place seven years ago in 1999. He was the Industrial Fire Marshall at a steel mill. It was a job that he enjoyed very much and he gave it his all like everything else he touched in his lifetime . This little poem is about his career while working there.

It�s didn�t seem so long ago

When off to Crucible you would go

A young lad of just twenty one

Your career with Crucible had just begun

You�d start at the Wire Mill on your first day

Where you got pretty dirty, I might say

Then to Bar Finish where the crane you would run

For you that always seemed like lots of fun

But you were not settled, so off to the Guards

But even that was not in the cards

Another position was waiting for you

To fight the fires and fill extinguishers too

The sprinkler systems, the smoke alarms

To make sure to cause no harm

The frozen pipes, the leaky lines

OSHA, Jerome, and inspections on time

The nasty uniforms with brown soot

Some days covered from head to foot

The training classes, being on call

The calls in the night from one and all

So now this all belongs to Bob

To enjoy it all and do a good job

Last of all, �Bob, the best of luck

But whatever you do, take care of the truck�

I thought that I next time that I posted something on my blog that my husband would be sitting here next to me perhaps watching TV or reading the paper. Sadly, that is not the case as he passed away on July 6. It has been extremely difficult for me to write; therefore, I have not.

My husband was a wonderful caring man. He was taken away from us way too soon. I have written many poems for him in the last few years. My next few blogs will be some of these poems. Maybe this is a way of making me feel better and/or telling anyone who may be reading this of the great loss my family and I have suffered. Please bear with me throughout this difficult time.

H Is for the Happiness you have always shown to me

U Is for United and that we�ll always be

S Is for the Safety you have given when I feel you by my side

B Is for the Band you gave to me when I became your bride

A Is for the Arms that hold me oh so tight

N Is for the Nearness we have every day and every night

D Is for the Day that you came into my life

And for all of this and more, I�m glad I am your wife

Just a short note to let anyone who may be interested in my blog that I am still around. I am at this time spending many hours in the hospital while my husband is recovering from a bout of pneumonia.

Hopefully, I will sometime in the very near future be able to take a few minutes and write a little. Please continue to check for any new entries to my blog. New entries are on their way, it just may take a while.................

I was trying to think of something to write about and decided on an annoyance that I have every Spring. It has to do with our neighbors� cats. (Notice that neighbors� is plural.)

For many years, I have tried to grow flowers in my front yard. Every year, the cats would use my flower beds for depositing their gifts to nature. In addition to the flower beds, they have decided to also use under our deck for their littering. I have purchased different mixes to put around plants and even scattered moth balls; all to no avail.

I have complained to the neighbors (they�re sorry) and called Animal Control (there is no leash law for cats). My husband has even sprayed them with the water hose on several occasions. They don�t care. They still keep coming back. They do, however, run when they see my husband coming out of the door.

As a last resort, the last few years I have just decided to purchase some shepherd hooks and hang pots of flowers rather than go through the aggravation. There is however still one thing that really irritates me. Because of the cats, in addition to ruining my flowers they have also �killed� three rose bushes. Also, a few years ago, my son gave me a beautiful rhododendron plant. My plant has �one� just �one� flower on it. As I look across the street at my neighbors� house, they both have great big beautiful rhododendron bushes. What is wrong with this picture????

With that in mind, I thought I will continue to hang the flower baskets rather than plant them, but I am going to try one more thing. I had heard about using cayenne pepper to scare the cats away because it would burn their feet. I made a purchase of two jars of pepper and sprinkled some around the rhododendron plant (which seems to be a very favorable spot) and under the deck. Would you believe that the next morning when I checked under the deck that there were paw prints in the sprinkled pepper along with a deposit. Are they trying to tell me something or what?

I�m sure I have irritated some cat lovers, but if your neighbors have a problem with your pets, they may not be as nice as I am and may harm your little darlings. If there is no leash law in your area, at least try to keep your pet indoors so that it is not destroying other people�s property��. Okay, I�ve vented. Have a nice day.

Yesterday, our grandson Richard became engaged to Stacy Taddeo. He was very excited. He had bought her a very beautiful ring and planned the special moment so that it would be a surprise to her. Not sure how much of a surprise it was, but from what I understand, when he asked her to marry him that her response was �Of course, I will�.

According to my daughter Cathy (Richard�s mom), they have already started making plans for the wedding which should be next June. It will be here before you know it.

It is so hard to believe that our �little� grandson will in the very near future become a husband. Another plateau in our lives too as I mentioned to my husband; another extension of our family. Of course, Stacy has been around for a long time, but now it will become �official�. She fits in perfectly and we all just love her.

Congratulations Richard and Stacy. We love you both!