when i went to mom's yesterday she was sitting on the couch with several large, old, photo albums in her lap. i asked her where they came from. she didn't know. she said they were the ones we'd been looking at that morning. i went along with it for a while before asking if she'd seen her brother john lately. she looked at the books and laughed at herself for thinking that was me who'd come to visit just 2 hours, or 2 minutes, before. then we sat together and looked through them. and that was awesome.
i call that a happy ending.
i'd love to scan and post a bunch of them for this blog and HOTD. one day i will. the photos are all 120-70 years old. of her and her brother and of their extended family. man! they were really into hats and bonnets back then. and more hats.
so i guess as sad and rapidly progressive her dementia is, it's *ok* in a way. we can still laugh about it and we can still enjoy those photos together. that's much better than anything i have to say about the next sad story...
goin' on 6 years now. our war in iraq. no end in sight. more death, injury, loss and displacement to come. for years and years. al-qaeda in iraq. civil war. $$$ wasted. sadness. no happy ending i can see. no end in sight.
as i wrote here 5 months ago in *i'm the serious guy*, i guess i'll have to keep that picture of myself in the sidebar for a while longer. that makes me sad, too.
and don't you dare think for a moment i don't respect and honor our troops. just keep it to yourself if that's the way you read my disgust with what we've created in iraq. yes, i'm ashamed of my country, but not of our soldiers. if you want to know whom i'd like in position for that *3 a.m. phone call* i'd say maybe a woman (no, not her) or a silver star vet (no, certainly not him) ... but, maybe someone more like this soldier here. i wonder how she'd react.
or maybe any one of these soldiers.
or these or maybe one of these...
i double dog dare you to actually read one of those pages.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
2 sad stories - 1 *happy* ending
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22 comments:
I too am sad that after 5 years we are even deeper into $h!T in Iraq thanks to GWB. It saddens me.
Glad you and Mom had fun looking at photos. There is nothing like those memories. Hang on to them.
thanks robyn.
on this 1st day of spring i hope your weather's warmed up a bit and that you and your mom are able to enjoy it together.
Hello. This post is likeable, and your blog is very interesting, congratulations :-). I will add in my blogroll =). If possible gives a last there on my blog, it is about the Wireless, I hope you enjoy. The address is http://wireless-brasil.blogspot.com. A hug.
Please don't forget it took more than GWB to launch this war.
"i double dog dare you to actually read one of those pages."
I've never been able to resist a dare! haha. Thanks Rick! These soldiers are AMAZING! I'd vote for any one of them, any day! Let me know who our write in vote will be and I'm with you!
projetor - thanks. but are you trying to sell me something?
~betsy - yes. i never can forget that, as well. i'm not fond of many politicians. so few it even bothers me to admit it. i have to work hard not to be a total cynic.
cinnamin - glad you read some of it. it's a pretty amazing phenomenon, huh?
(i also respect the soldiers who are not anti war...)
Rick, I have never been able to fathom how, when W goes over to commune with the troops, they act so honored and all (well, maybe they're really not, but they at least display a certain decorum). If it were me over there, I'd have trouble not spitting on him. (Is that wrong?)
The other good news, though - Bill Richardson endorsed Barack!!!
wnedy do you really think we'd ever hear if that did happen? (besides, i don't think it's likely he gets close enough to real soldiers to be spat upon.)
~betsy - *point of information* - i never even mentioned gwb in this particular diatribe against OUR foreign policy for the exact reason you so succinctly expressed.
you made me think. else i wouldn't be writing this note now. i should have included that sentiment in the original.
"In war, there are no unwounded soldiers." Anonymous
I tend to agree with you on this one, Rick. There are so few politicians I actually like, I am having a heck of a hard time coming up with a candidate to cast my vote for in this upcoming PA primary. I'm a registered democrat (surprised?) but over the last few years have supported the republicans. Where's Ross Perot when I need him?
annie, anonymous was right about this particular war at least. funny thing is, i'm not a total pacifist. but this war...with all the *collateral* damage, both human and spiritual...coupled with the (uberflussig) hubris...it just gives me the willies.
~betsy - yep. i'm sorta surprised. in which case, i'm even more surprised you chose these times to switch.
as for ross, i've voted 3rd party several times only to conclude those votes usually serve the candidates i dislike the most. pretty darn frustrating.
i wish (but won't hold my breath) we had a 3 or 4 party system and a true coalition type of government.
Rick,
I like others on here would love to have someone to vote for. I have crossed party lines this year from Dem to Rep. It is great to read that you and your Mom had to chance to look at photos and reminise. Momma will look at pictures and say that is one of her children, when it is actually a grandchild or great grandchild. She will look at pictures of my grandson and say that it is my youngest son. Sad..but this will not get any better for them or us. Take care....how is the neck?
rainbowheart - you what?! THIS is the year you choose to vote republican???? would it be you can't vote for a black man?
i don't mean to be presumptuous, but...what else can i think?
my choice is clear. regardless of what anyone reading this blog may think, i will gladly vote for obama given the chance. (although i fear for his life if he is even nominated.)
otherwise i will vote for hillary.
i think mccain is almost the bufoon w is. and consequently, almost as dangerous.
Voting for a black man purely because of his color is like loving all dogs, regardless of temperament, because you are a dog lover. Obama's race has nothing to do with my choice. Hillary's sex has nothing to do with my choice. How they stand on issues is what this is supposed to be about.
I am dead against national health care. I'll take a lashing for it here, but I have seen the chaos it has left in Great Britain and Canada.
My husband's grandfather would have easily lived 10 more years had he been in a nation with health care of choice (read the US) instead of living in the UK. He had dementia and strokes - sound familiar to us caregivers? And you know what, the health care system in Britain refused treatment of any sort because he was over 75. How well will that fly in this country?
betsy, i couldn't agree with you more about what is valid criteria for our voting choices.
as for, "i'll take a lashing for it here"...hahahaha. not from me.
i like the way you respectfully state your insights and opinions.
Rick,
NO ,I crossed party lines when we were voting in the Dem. primary. I felt then that there were no good candidates to vote for. Not that McCain is much better but I didn't vote for him either.. I will probably vote Democratic in the election. I could careless what the skin color of the person is that is elected. My concerns as well as others are what is brought up every year at elections time (which most of them at lies), is taxes, health care, and education. We have spent five years in a war that in reality is not going to won. GWB sent out men and women into a conflict over a few lies...WMD. And there was none. Yea, a few good things happened...Saddam is gone and Bin Ladin is still on the run. We have a National Deficit that your children's children's grandchildren will be paying off for many years to come. Ted Kennedy has rallied for a National Healthcare and it is not flying here. I believe that insurance companies should have someway of helping everyone to be able to afford insurance. This year I got a 2% rise but my insurance went up 4 1/2 %. So in reality, you can't win for losing when it comes to healthcare. And some many people believe that after your reach a certain age here in America that you don't have to pay for healthcare...wrong? My father is paying more for healthcare than I am. And he is living out a mailbox (SSI). That is sad..So, I hope that if someone can come up with healthcare that they also look at the elderly patients that have worked all of their lives, bought a home and put money back so that they could travel and see the world after raising kids and retiring. NO they have to use that money in order to pay insurance premiums...okay I will get off of the soap box. Vote...I will...for whom...still trying to figure that one out!!!
Since we are discussing candidates - in all honesty, I have yet to hear how any of them feel about family caregiver support systems. When I was care taking for my mom full time, I lost a heck of a lot of time from work, and therefore, a good bit of money toward my own retirement. Anyone know where any of these candidates stand?
Great question Betsy. I have not even thought of that. I have not heard anyone discuss that issue either.
i imagine their stands are related to whatever the *big dogs* want. of all the candidates left in the race, i think barack would be most genuinely sympathetic to this cause.
but what do i know?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23797072/
got that from the first soldier site :)
josephine, that's pretty funny... i'm just glad i'm related to YOU.
you're my real hero.
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