Letters/Conversations with My Dad #1

Dear Dad,

Im bursting with excitement that you made it to Alaska ;-)

I only wish I was there to share in the excitement and see your eyes sparkle with your first amazing sighting of various wildlife.... The birds catching thermals soaring among the beauty in natures quiet paradise....

It's been almost two years since Mom's passing.  I remember looking you directly in the eye at the funeral and what I said... I'll paraphrase what I said once again:

You have worked every day of your life... Now, You are completely free.

So what do you want to be "when you grow up"? What makes you happy? Do you know?  Have you every had the opportunity to find out?  What did you dream of doing when you were a kid.... Do you want to visit the pyramids? See the Eiffel tower? Do you want to run for president? Sit by a lake in South America? Go to college for something random you wanted to study but never had the opportunity to delve into?

Whatever, you decide to do, however, little or grand, I have your back Dad. 100% and will support you whatever your adventures in life morph into over time.

One of the (many) greatest joys in my life was spending time with you in DC after Mom's death and finally showing you "my world" watching you smile, drink in the atmosphere, participate & enjoy, learning about your daughter and experiencing her friends..... It was a simple as that... and it rocked (Thank you for that moment)

You have done an amazing job 2 years into this new adventure.  YOU have traveled AND gotten a passport!!!!! ( <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 can't say that enough)  Seeing you thrive, dream and experience brings me great joy.

One of the better early birthday presents I've experienced was yesterday... Just hearing your smile on the phone ;-)

Keep it up.  We/you have soooo much yet to feel, taste, smell & be in this life!

Love as always your daughter,

Susan

Fireworks & Fourth Of July For C&S

Many moons ago (In my other life as Great Grandma used to say) I lived in a fabulous NYC apt in which every window overlooked "The Lady With The Fire" (AKA The Statue of Liberty ;) It was magnificent and every Sunday the Queen Mary 2 would sail down the Hudson River.  


My kids had THE most spectacular time watching "the boats" parade by the floor to ceiling windows.... EXCEPT there was one problem: 


Fireworks... Thrilling to most kids... but my kids at that age didn't like the noise & light.... So I improvised and came up with a pretty darn good/easy solution... and I wrote about it for them years ago so they could share it with their kids some day ;)  


Fireworks For S&C:

Fireworks are noisy

Fireworks are bright

Fireworks surprise me

Always in the night

The first time I saw them

I got scared and cried

I called to my mommy

So here's the plan we tried

The booms and the flashes

felt like thunder and lightning

she bought us sunglasses and earplugs

and pinky swore that all would be right

In our big snuggle chair

My Mom held me tight

We cuddled up close

And I felt allright

Fireworks will be noisy

And they will be bright

but now they amaze me

with so many pretty lights

So I took out my "mickey mouse ears" I used at the range, bought 2 pairs of kids sunglasses and sat them down between me in my double papasan chair with pretzels and milk and the rest is history...

For you S&C you are my sun, my stars, I love you more than the universe & up to the sky.... Googolplex Infinity (Yes, C&S I know there is nothing bigger than infinity... I just still like to say it that way) Love, Mommy  

What happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the 

Declaration of Independence ?

• Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.

• Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.

• Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.

• Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.

• They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?

• Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.

• Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated.

• They signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

• Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by theBritish Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

• Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly.  He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

• Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

• At the battle of Yorktown , Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

• Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed.  The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

• John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying.  Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.

So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

Remember: Freedom Is Never Free!

I hope you will show your support by sending this to as many people as you can, please. It's time we get the word out that patriotism is NOT a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than beer, picnics, and baseball games.

Via Ladee Texan By way of BR