Keeper
Their marriage was good, their dreams focused.. Their best friends lived barely a wave away. I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress; lawn mower in his hand, and dish-towel in hers.. It was the time for fixing things. A curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress. Things we keep.
It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy. All that re-fixing, eating, renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more.
But then my mother died, and on that clear summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any more. Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away ...never to return. So ..While we have it ...its best we love it ... And care for it .... And fix it when it's broken ... And heal it when it's sick.
This is true ...For marriage ... And old cars ... And children with bad report cards ... Dogs and cats with bad hips ... And aging parents ... And grandparents, aunts and uncles and friends. We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it.
Some things we keep. Like a best friend who moved away or a classmate we grew up with. There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special ... And so, we keep them close in heart and mind and spirit.
I received this from someone who thinks I am a 'keeper', so I've sent it to the people I think of in the same way.
Now it's your turn to send this to those people who are 'keepers' in your life. Send it back to the person that sent it to you if they too are a keeper.
Good friends are like stars ... you don't always see them, but you know they are always there.
Live and Learn. Learn and Live Better! is my motto. I'm Mardy Ross, and I founded Lumigrate in 2008 after a career as an occupational therapist with a background in health education and environmental research program administration. Today I function as the desk clerk for short questions people have, as well as 'concierge' services offered for those who want a thorough exploration of their health history and direction to resources likely to progress their health according to their goals. Contact Us comes to me, so please do if you have questions or comments. Lumigrate is "Lighting the Path to Health and Well-Being" for increasing numbers of people. Follow us on social networking sites such as: Twitter: http://twitter.com/lumigrate [1] and Facebook. (There is my personal page and several Lumigrate pages. For those interested in "groovy" local education and networking for those uniquely talented LumiGRATE experts located in my own back yard, "LumiGRATE Groove of the Grand Valley" is a Facebook page to join. (Many who have joined are beyond our area but like to see the Groovy information! We not only have FUN, we are learning about other providers we can be referring patients to and 'wearing a groove' to each other's doors -- or websites/home offices!) By covering some of the things we do, including case examples, it reinforces the concepts at Lumigrate.com as well as making YOU feel that you're part of a community. Which you ARE at Lumigrate!
Links:
[1] http://twitter.com/lumigrate
[2] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/something-send-those-you-consider-keepers#comment-618
[3] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/something-send-those-you-consider-keepers#top
[4] http://www.lumigrate.com/user/login?destination=node/470%23comment-form
[5] http://www.lumigrate.com/user/register?destination=node/470%23comment-form
Comments
I'm fortunate to have a lot of really amazing people 'back home' where I came from, which is the Denver Metro area, aka 'The Front Range'. I grew up in the foothills west of Denver in a small community where I made 'sisters of the heart' who are life-long friends. They went on to have families, I went on to become and OT and move eventually to Western Colorado where many things came together for me that you see the results from today with Lumigrate AND qualified, progressive health care providers who helped me get back to being more in chronic wellness than chronic illness. I have an aging father who has been a priority for the past decade with my time as he has a progressive neurologic disease and has needed help from us for many years now. So I haven't gotten to see friends much. But good friends are like stars and you don't always see them, but you know they are always there. (LOVE those words, above!)
This particular friend is an amazing businesswoman. And while I was a professional provider to her originally, her inviting me to her one year celebration of her medical event which changed her life dramatically was the turning point for us. I've learned more from her about how to adapt to change in status and handling health issues than I have learned from my own situation I think -- she's truly a KEEPER. So thank you for emailing this to me, and I'm going to let you know that I consider YOU a keeper, not only by responding to the email the way your other Keepers certainly will, but giving you this link. Maybe this get 'passed forward' and cut and pasted and initiated by MANY of the Grate Group. Maybe someday they'll be lucky enough to know more words of wisdom from you too, if you decide to write here on Lumigrate. We'd LOVE to have you as I know you're an experienced mentor in your area of expertise.
~~ Mardy
Live and Learn. Learn and Live Better! is my motto. I'm Mardy Ross, and I founded Lumigrate in 2008 after a career as an occupational therapist with a background in health education and environmental research program administration. Today I function as the desk clerk for short questions people have, as well as 'concierge' services offered for those who want a thorough exploration of their health history and direction to resources likely to progress their health according to their goals. Contact Us comes to me, so please do if you have questions or comments. Lumigrate is "Lighting the Path to Health and Well-Being" for increasing numbers of people. Follow us on social networking sites such as: Twitter: http://twitter.com/lumigrate [1] and Facebook. (There is my personal page and several Lumigrate pages. For those interested in "groovy" local education and networking for those uniquely talented LumiGRATE experts located in my own back yard, "LumiGRATE Groove of the Grand Valley" is a Facebook page to join. (Many who have joined are beyond our area but like to see the Groovy information! We not only have FUN, we are learning about other providers we can be referring patients to and 'wearing a groove' to each other's doors -- or websites/home offices!) By covering some of the things we do, including case examples, it reinforces the concepts at Lumigrate.com as well as making YOU feel that you're part of a community. Which you ARE at Lumigrate!