I See What You Meme

Well it's my birthday too!  Not quite, but soon! Okay, with apologies to the Beatles, my birthday is approaching. I am not telling you this because I want presents or lavish parties.  In fact, I would prefer to not make my birthday a big deal.  It's not a significant year and, quite frankly, I have plenty of physical reminders that I am getting older.    I do have a few wishes, though. If you would like to give something in honor of my birthday, please consider making a donation in my honor to Autism Speaks .  Our school is participating in the upcoming walk on September 29th and I would like your help and support.  Autism Speaks does a lot to help families managing the difficult diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder with research, advocacy, and family support.  You can follow this link to make a donation. Take the $5 you would spend on a beer or a card for me and give it to them.  If you have even more money to burn , you c...

This week's Follow Friday didn't make the deadline.  I have a few excuses. I'm currently on Pacific Time so, technically, it's still Friday. Roger and I are in California and Sunday he will run his 10th marathon in Big Sur .  This week, I've decided to feature some organizations near and dear to my heart that revolve around our current mission in California: CJSTUF : Yes, most of you reading this know it is my current raison d'etre. This is where my parenting energies currently flow. Simply put, we help families who are where we have been. We don't cure disease. We don't solve the world's problems. But we try to make an unbearable situation a little more bearable. Every Day is a Bonus. ASK : The organization that is the backbone of the hematology/oncology clinic at VCU Medical Center. This organization does so much for families of kids with cancer and related diseases, including funding for Child Life, Chaplaincy, Counseling, Social Work, and...

Now that we've had a few posts to settle in with one another, let's get personal, shall we?   It's almost an understatement to say that this has been a difficult year.  The last few weeks, especially, brought back a flood of memories.  This time last year, we were in the home stretch .   We were watching our daughter die.  I have spent the weeks since Thanksgiving thinking of our final days with her.  I miss her terribly.  I miss her laugh and her smile and her stories.  I cry a lot.   This is going to sound funny but I don't cry the way I used too.  In the past, if I got upset, you would KNOW that I was upset.  Now, it just kind of leaks out.  I'll be sitting somewhere: waiting in line at the store, working, driving in my car....and the tears just start to flow.  I don't even necessarily "break down" and sob.  I just leak.   Anything can trigger the leak.  Usually it's a memory of Charlot...