Counting My Blessings

Forgive me Father...no wait! I did that the last time! Never mind...

So it's been a while since my last post. No worries. 

It's not my intention to post too many entries for fear of becoming boring, mundane or redundant as so many blogs are. (Ugh! It's her again...)

Really! Do these bloggers truly believe their lives are so interesting that people want to read about every minute detail?

If I ever get to that point or become that type of blogger will someone please just shoot me? 

My road trip from Florida to Boulder went well. 

My brother was a happy and helpful presence who provided me with the necessary respite from doing all the driving. I do love to drive but even long haul truckers are required to take a break now and then.

The dogs were perfect little traveling companions who were so quiet and undemanding that we sometimes forgot they were in the back seat.

Unfortunately, we annihilated about two million love bugs along the way making my stop at the car wash before we departed North Palm Beach a total waste of time and money.

I relegated the windshield carcass scraping to Ted when we stopped for gas and potty breaks. That alone made it worth bringing him along!

Massive tornado damage was evident in several states and we were in awe at the power of the storms. Huge swaths of giant old trees snapped like match sticks were evident along the highway. We were mesmerized by the randomness of it all. The worst damage we saw was actually at the St. Louis airport and the surrounding area (which had been hit the week before) but then again, our route didn't take us through Tuscaloosa which as we all know by now was devastated.

I was in Tuscaloosa once, when my oldest was in graduate school. Much like Boulder, the town was basically built around the University, which I understand was spared for the most part. I wonder if the Tornado Gods weren't kind to Tuscaloosa because unlike Boulder, rampant racism persists and there remains a percentage of the population who still don't know the Civil War is over. 

All kidding aside, after seeing the tornado damage along our route, we truly felt despair for any and all the victims of those storms. No one deserves that.

Our first night on the road we almost waited too long to pull off to find a room. Thousands of displaced tornado victims who'd lost their homes or were without power were also seeking rooms and we were most fortunate to not only find one, but one that accepted pets. Honestly? I would have given up that room and slept in the car if it were a choice between me and a tornado victim.

Our second day on the road brought continuous and torrential rains and the current flood situation comes as no surprise after seeing the swollen Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. I do find it disturbing that officials are opening up the spillways flooding smaller towns upstream in their efforts to save Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Certainly, New Orleans has suffered enough in recent years but isn't this sort of like a "Sophie's Choice"?

Later that evening we learned the news that bin Laden met up with a few of our finest (God Bless those Navy SEALS!) and is now "swimming with the fishes" as one friend likes to say. 

I hope his demise brings some sense of justice to all those who've suffered unimaginable losses as a result of his sick and twisted time on Earth.

And now I'm home. 

Ted had a good visit topped off by his well documented sail plane ride over Boulder and the mountains to the west.

Mother's Day was superb - the perfect blend of family and friends who joined us for an early morning brunch prior to catching their flight back to California after attending the CU graduation the day before. After preparing brunch at home, we enjoyed dinner out at a favorite local restaurant putting the finishing touch on a great day.

I'm still trying to remember where everything is after four months away but found the kitchen to be reasonably in tact - unlike last year when nothing was where I left it. The dogs, however, remembered exactly where we stash the treats and promptly planted their respective butts on the floor in front of them waiting for the tasty tidbits. They're so smart. Can dogs be gifted?

Our Boulder spring was briefly interrupted by a dash of mid-May snow and plenty of badly needed rain but the forecast is looking bright.

Golf will have to wait though as we just returned from an out of town weekend birthday celebration where I took hundreds of pictures I've got to upload and sort through and I've got a photo assignment this week that will keep me busy at the computer for a day or so.

But all of this seems so trivial as I pause to remember an old friend who lost his beloved wife and soulmate last week. 

Together they put up a valiant 4+ year struggle, first against the ravages of Hodgkins and finally Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) an insidious disease that literally robs sufferers of their ability to breathe. http://www.ardsusa.org/facts.htm

As I read through her blog, I truly wished I'd had the chance to meet and get to know her. She was taken too soon and I'm heartbroken for the loss my friend has suffered. 

Never take your health for granted.

Call someone today and tell them how much you love them.

And always count your blessings!