Dear Muse,

Dear Muse,
  Where are you today?
      Your silence is killing me!!!
         Are you still mad at me for not taking notes,        while stranded at Dulles International Airport for 12 hours?
   Don't worry---the story is there---it is hard to write and "people watch" at the same time.

    The people I observed were marvelous beings from other lands and other lives. None spoke English as they talked among themselves.
      Strangers, with stories I will never know....but I can imagine.....sometimes that is enough.

    There was a man from India, followed by 3 wives. Beautiful people.  Their sari's flowing in shades of tangerine, gold and brown.  The first wife, or the oldest, was dressed in a turquoise robe, appearing wiser and definitely in charge of the other two. They chatted amongst themselves.  The husband stood alone, oblivious of the laughter.

    I remember the Monk running past me.  Brown robes heavy as he ran. Hood slipping off his head to reveal a shaved head and a generous smile as he and his black companion ran to catch their flight.  Bronze cross dangling from his waist....hitting his knees as he ran.

    Or the "little girl" who sat down to recharge her cell phone battery.  In reality she was probably 25 or 30 years old. Oblivious to the stares of strangers, self assured in her small body and her children's 6x jeans.

    Several people moved to a window to watch a Saudi Arabian jet liner land. The name ablaze---palm tree and crossed swords were painted on the tail fin. 


    A young Amish mother sat down beside me, her toddler in a stroller wanting something to eat.  She gave the little girl cereal and smiled at me. Then she pulled out a cell phone and began to text someone. They too, had just missed their plane.  Her husband was trying to make other arrangements. This picture was missing some pieces....the dots did not connect.


     People ran off and on for the 12 hours I was there. Trying to catch planes they were scheduled to miss. 


      Frantic souls at the "Customer Service" counter....trying their best to get somewhere else and fast.


      Futile attempts followed by resigned fate that they too would have to wait many hours with other strangers....waiting their turn to go home.


      So Muse, you might as well talk to me because the story wrote itself.

Melodi, Jennifer and Me

I have spent more time with Melodi this past month than I have in the last ten years combined. That is a fact that I hate to admit and one that I am glad to rectify.  

Time is one of the main things that seems to escape my grasp so easily.  I can squander an afternoon or a year, without really noticing what I am doing. Once it is gone, I can not get it back.

I did that with Melodi. She has lived away from home for almost 10 years, in one fashion or another. Too many times, I let other factors cloud my vision and I missed opportunities to spend time with my youngest daughter. We saw each other but not often enough.


I go to bed with my list made for what I want to do the next day.  My inbox is always full. It should never be too full for family.

Like most people, I assume I have all the time in the world to visit friends and family.  All the time to write, to read and love the people in my life.  Without really realizing it, I squandered my time with Meodi.   Only now, do I understand the magnitude of that mistake.  However, I have been given a second chance and I intend to make the most of it.

It all began to manifest itself when  Melodi asked me to go on vacation with her and Jennifer, her life partner.  I jumped at the chance. We were taking a 2,400 mile road trip to Richmond, Virginia.  The girls were being transferred there and wanted to check the place out before they moved.

We were going to be together 24-7 for 7 days and nights.  I told Tommy that at the end of that trip, we would either love each other immensely or be sick of each other. 

It could not have been more fun!! Melodi and I picked up right where we had left off. Love was never a question with us.  We just needed time to be together. 

For Jennifer and myself, we needed to really get to know each other. We did and we found out that we really do like each other. We are alike in a lot of ways.  She is" Chicago City" and I am "Kentucky Country". That in itself is enough for a book!!! We all got the "tired giggles" about 6 p.m.  We ate each other's favorite meals. Listened to each others music and laughed so much. The trip probably turned out to be closer to 3,400 miles....we took a lot of side trips. At the end of our vacation, I can truthfully say that Jennifer is my fourth daughter. I love her. She is amazing and can make me laugh until I cry.  Truthfully, those two need their own "reality show"!!!!

Reality, according to the dictionary "reality" is the state of being "real". My family could not be more real. We have all had a crash course in life's lessons. Some were learned the hard way and at great expense.  But learned they were. We are a family filled with promise and bound by love.