Archive for September, 2009
Autumn
September 22nd, 2009 | 
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This is my favorite time of year. Just a few weeks after school starts and a routine has set in. The weather is cooling down, and the humidity is decreasing too. I love stepping out the door and feeling that clip of fresh, crispness in the air. It’s such a good feeling to draw in a deep breath and feel some of the cobwebs shake loose.
For me, this seems to be the time for renewal, instead of January 1st. Along with school starting, our wardrobe changes, and we start preparing for the series of holiday events — Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Plans of fall decorating form in my head. Bronze and gold colors invade my sense of atmosphere to bring into my home.
It’s time to open the windows and let the fresh breeze flow through my home, swirling and curling, searching the nooks and crannies. Spreading the crisp fall air everywhere.
Current Mood:
Happy
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9/11 Tribute
It is my privilege to dedicate my post today to honor Michael James Stewart, 42 years old, and living in New York in 2001. He was born in Ireland and came to the States about 20 years earlier. A dedicated rugby player/coach, working hard to provide for his wife and two sons, and finally graduating from Pepperdine University with an M.B.A. He rose in the ranks of the banking industry, starting out as an entry-level position at the Bank of Scotland in New York City, and then working as an account executive for Carr Futures on the 92nd floor of 1 World Trade Center. No one heard from Mr. Stewart the day he was killed in the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers. He was working for Carr Futures on the 93rd floor, believed to be the point of impact of the first plane, American Airlines Flight 11, on the North Tower at 8:46 a.m. on September 11, 2001.
His wife of 16 years, Diana, and his two sons, Eamon and Francisco, honored him by standing with 200 others in reading the names of those who died on that day during the 5 year annniversary memorial in New York. The 2 sons ended their reading by showing a picture of their dad in his rugby uniform. Diana believes “The notion of reading names we realized was very important, a sensitive issue and very honorable”. [Read more of the article from wcbstv.com.]
Remembrances by friends
My memories of you are still vivid—as a young first year joining the rugby squad. You were the captain and a leader by example both on and off the pitch. I had the highest regard for you. Duncan Beckwith on 2009-06-02
I … will remember your husband walking down Lincoln Street in a suit with briefcase in hand with a smile. -Kira
Michael was incredibly passionate about everything he did. He was an accomplished and insightful banker, a rabid rugby player and, I have no doubt, a warm and loving father. As the anniversary of that terrible day approaches, I smile at the memory of Michael’s quick wit and ready smile, and grieve at the loss of a good friend. ~Chris
He was a gentleman, smart and had a brilliant sense of humour. ~Michael
Michael and I attended Belfast High together. We took A level English and History together and I have fond memories of lively debates in the Sixth Form Centre. ~Sara
I loved talking to him about poetry and literature. He was truly fun to be around and a great person. I have no doubt he was a great Dad. Michael thank you for always being there as a friend. You are truly missed. ~Kathy
I never even knew that he was a rugby star, or even an athlete. But he was certainly a great team player in the bank, and a real friend to everyone there. ~Peter
Mike was a great captain for our rugby team. He was an inspirational player in that he achieved so much on the field becasue of his mental and physical toughness. ~Jerry
I had the privilege of playing for the Old Blue Rugby club when Mike was our captain. I remember him as a true leader on and off the field, and as a friend who was simply fun to be around. ~Ken
I knew him as a tremendous rugby player then but I only really got to know him when we worked together in a labouring job for the local council in the summer of 1979. I remember he was great company and kept us all entertained with stories from his rugby matches at university. ~John
what a legacy you left! You were an incredible person that was loved and respected by many. You would be surprised how many lives you touched in your 42 years. It was an honor to have known you an considered you part of the family. ~Mark and Roxanne
He was once asked what he would like to be rememembered most as. This man who was a successful banker and rugby player replied, ”being a dad”. It can’t get any simpler than that.
September 11th is a new historical event for a country that is hundreds of years old, and outstrips such events as the burning of Atlanta, or the San Francisco fire and earthquake, or even Hurricane Katrina.
That day struck the spirit of America, that spirit which now charges on, witout flinching, to show the world we cannot be brought to our knees.
Today, it is my privilege to remember, no, it is my duty, as an American citizen to honor… Michael James Stewart. Please join me, along with Project 2,996 in remembering the victims of 9/11.
Follow on Facebook and Twitter hashtag project2996 and project 2,996.
…Just the way you are
I hope you all have had a great weekend. I enjoyed my 3 day weekend, although I didn’t do much. I stayed with my 83 year old aunt so that my 72 year old mother could go and play, errr, visit with her friends. I just mostly chilled out all weekend. I tried out my verizon wireless broadband access to see how that worked. That worked out pretty good. The connection wasn’t as slow as I thought it would be, but I was careful with how much time I spent on the internet. I wasn’t sure how that affected the MB allowance in my plan.
On Saturday, I sat in the chair and just dozed off and on all day long. I just absolutely had no energy. Of course, Leah had plenty of energy for both me and my aunt. She kept her pretty much entertained. I overheard a conversation between the two of them…
AUNT: My finger hurts where I had my surgery
5yo: Right there?
AUNT: Yeah. Your little fingers feel good rubbing it, so sweet and light.
AUNT: My fingers are so old, and brown, and ugly looking.
5yo: That’s okay. You’re my aunt, I love you just the way you are.
AUNT: That’s the sweetest thing anybody has ever said to me.
Hmmm. Maybe the 5 year old is an “old soul” at that.
Current Mood: Happy
Parent Partnership
I really hate going to meetings, seriously, I dread it with every fiber of my being. I hate making small talk and meeting strangers. I always have that awkward end of conversation thing going on, where I don’t know whether to just walk away, or say, it’s been lovely talking to you. My theory is… I was born breech, so I’m always getting everything backwards. LOL.
But I have to make myself do it, especially to be an advocate for my child.
Tonight, there was a meeting for the parents of children receiving “services” in the public school system in our county. I took Leah with me, which made my dread even worse, because I cannot get her to shush, because she is only 5, and we don’t do this kind of thing very often. But I saw a mini-me when we were walking up to the door. She was telling me she didn’t want to go and she wasn’t going to like it, and even asked to stay in the car. When taking that step up onto the porch, she visibly and audibly gulped and said “here goes”. I told her it was going to be fine, and she just had to sit still and be quiet for me to attend the meeting.
It was quite embarrassing when I walked in. The coordinator asked me if I was the one that emailed with the child from R. Elementary School. I drew a blank… I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t remember the name of the school she goes to. She has been to 4 schools since she was 3 (she will be 6 in a few weeks), and I’m constantly getting them all mixed up. And, of course, Leah was no help. She just said I go to “Kindergarten”.
There were about 7 parents there, plus the autism teacher, and the parent coordinator. Most of the children had autism, speech delays, there was 1 with Cerebral Palsey and 1 with Down’s. Leah was the only one with a rare genetic disorder. All of the children were ages from pre-k to middle school. I don’t think there were any there that are in high school yet. Each mom was asked to tell their most difficult challenge and give a tip for the other parents. Most everybody agreed, other people was their challenge, and the tip was just to breathe, and take it day by day. All of them pretty much had a history of trying to do it all on their own, without seeking any support from others.
This was the first meeting of the 2nd year of the parent partnership, but I really didn’t feel that there were any real friendships formed from the parents that were around last year. That didn’t leave me with quite a warm and fuzzy feeling. But I’m always oversensitive to that type of thing. If I don’t click with someone right away, I’m kindof a “snob”… or so I’m told. I know it appears that way, but I am extremely and painfully shy and, awkward, as I mentioned before. One thing that has always been a barrier for me is that I’ve always been so much older than everyone else.
One thing the coordinator mentioned that I was pleased to hear was that her oldest child is 10 years old, she’s been through many, many IEPs, many experts, and she still learned something new from the guest speakers they had last year. A couple other things that were mentioned… 1) the local civitan club is interested in providing some activities for not only the children, but the siblings too; 2) Monkey Joe’s will continue to be free year round from 6-8 pm every 3rd Tuesday of the month, just for the children; 3) smaller groups could be formed for more specific needs; and 4) there won’t be that many restrictions by the county, “the sky is the limit”. All in all, I thought it was a very interesting meeting, but next time… I gotta get a babysitter.
I did connect with one of the moms out in the parking lot. I had remarked that when I moved to this county, that I had researched the surrounding counties and their public school systems, especially regarding their developmental programs. Some counties, there were no programs at all, and the other larger county nearby… I refuse to live there. But I kept hearing that this county is the best in the state, it’s the place to be for the types of services that Leah requires. This other mother commended me for my diligence and doing the research and being an advocate for my child. I finally found somebody that I “clicked” with. Turns out, she had her son when she was 35. That caught my interest. We exchanged phone numbers and email addresses, and I “gasp” invited her to go to breakfast one morning. I don’t know where I got the courage. LOL.
I was already musing on the drive over that the rules in the school are so strict about giving birthday invitations to the teacher’s for the students. It makes it really difficult to include those little ones when I don’t know anybody. I wish there was something like a little Kindergarten parent social so that those mothers could introduce themselves to each other, especially in a setting where we didn’t have children hanging around our coattails, or rushing in and out the door, or attending a school event. Some of these parents we are going to know all the way up through the high school years, and it would be nice to start getting to know each other sooner.
As I was driving home, my brain was whirling in a tizzy… okay, parent social. That sounds good. But all those mothers tonight at that meeting just sounded so mentally tired, and feeling like it’s them against the world. They needed a “pamper” party. I could invite them all over to my house, and each could bring a little pamper gift, even if they only got it at the $1 store, and then we could draw for prizes (everybody would get one). Then it could grow into having a foot “spa” event, or a hand “spa” event, or a “facial”. We could start the introductions with telling one story about your child, good, bad, a traumatic surgery experirence, something recent, something past, and it would be timed, say only a couple minutes. Then, that’s it, no more “special needs child” talk. The rest of the time should be spent talking about things we like to do, or where we are from, or places we like to go. A mental break from the worry and stress of the daily caregiving. I think it could work… sigh…. I’ll never get any sleep now. I don’t have any intentions of doing this, but I’m just liable to open my big mouth and say, “hey, what about a…?” GRRRR. I’ve already volunteered to be on the parent partnership council. What was I thinking?
I have to admit that I am looking forward to next month’s meeting. Maybe it will be easier for me.
Current Mood: Happy
Brain Age anyone?
I am looking for a few good partners (preferably other moms) to compete with in Brain Age. I have had the Nintendo DS game for a while, and I started it with a Brain Age of 66. Then I didn’t use it because I just did not feel like fighting my 5 year old for it. But I’ve kinda gotten her out of the habit of playing Nintendo a lot, so I want to try to get back into doing it. I’m not into serious competition, just want a few buddies to have friendly comparisons with. I recently started it back again with a Brain Age of 60. I haven’t been faithfully “training” every day, but I want to and I thought a few comrades would be fun. It might keep me motivated. I feel like my brain has gotten really stale with all the technology to add and subtract and think for me, so I want to get my brain recharged again. Anyone else game?
Current Mood: Happy
48 year old secretly wannabe writer, but satisfied with being a blogger for the time being. I'm an only child, a country girl living in my hometown with my 22 year old son and my 6 year old special needs daughter. A single mom just trying to find her place in this world. Contact me at karen@ageorgiaangel.com or karen.yaughn@cox.net.
