Waxing Nostalgic on YouTube

Due to the passing of Michael Jackson I realized I had never shared the historically phenomenon that was the “Thriller” video with Ari so we decided to look it up on YouTube. She was not as impressed as she should have been…I mean it’s a classic. I distinctly remember when it came out…I was her age (am I really that old?), who I watched it with and what an amazing thing it was. On YouTube it brings up the links to “related content” so after the Thriller video we then started watching a number of Michael Jackson’s old videos…Beat It, Billie Jean and then moved onto the Jackson 5 (some of my all time favorite Michael ;-)

We were having so much fun waxing nostalgic that we just started looking up some of our favorite 80s cheese and it was hilarious! Way back in the day I had a huge crush on Morton Harket…which I mentioned to DH as we’re searching for great 80s videos and he looked at me like I was insane and told me I had to be making that name up…No, no I wasn’t. Morton Harket was the very pretty lead singer of one of my favorite groups when I was in Jr. High, A-Ha. DH did agree with me that the Take on Me video was a classic, but still chided me for remembering his name…ha ha ha!

Ari had fun, probably making fun of us…but she still seemed to enjoy herself, and Devyn had a blast just dancing away to all the music, but making sure that every one of us were on our feet dancing with her. We listened to everything from Aerosmith, Poison, Guns N Roses, A-Ha, U2, Skid Row, Bon Jovi, Rick Springfield, Pat Benatar, Boy George. We also came across this video compilation that plays maybe 10 second clips for 4 or 5 songs for each decade in the 80s…I don’t know whether to be ashamed or proud, but I knew the words to every song! I highly recommend a night just reminiscing like this on YouTube with your kids. They may laugh at you, but they’ll have a great time too and maybe even learn a little more about you.

DH and I have both decided we need to go and download a lot of those old songs…they are just fun to listen to sometimes. Next I think I may go and reminisce about my early childhood and listen to some Peter Paul and Mary, Sunny and Cher, Diana Ross, Looking Glass, and oh so many others.

Magnolias

I got the following story in an email and it really touched me...unfortunatley I'm afraid that I don't always cope with life as well as I could...

Magnolias

I spent the week before my daughter's June wedding running last-minute trips to the caterer, florist, tuxedo shop, and the church about forty miles away.

As happy as I was that Patsy was marrying a good Christian young man, I felt laden with responsibilities as I watched my budget dwindle. So many details, so many bills, and so little time.

My son Jack was away at college, but he said he would be there to walk his younger sister down the aisle, taking the place of his dad who had died a few years before. He teased Patsy, saying he’d wanted to give her away since she was about three years old!

To save money, I gathered blossoms from several friends who had large magnolia trees. Their luscious, creamy-white blooms and slick green eaves would make beautiful arrangements against the rich dark wood inside the church.

After the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding, we banked the podium area and choir loft with magnolias. As we left just before midnight, I felt tired but satisfied this would be the best wedding any bride had ever had! The music, the ceremony, the reception - and especially the flowers - would be remembered for years.

The big day arrived - the busiest day of my life - and while her bridesmaids helped Patsy to dress, her fiancé Tim walked with me to the sanctuary to do a final check. When we opened the door and felt a rush of hot air, I almost fainted; and then I saw them - all the beautiful white flowers were black. Funeral black. An electrical storm during the nighthad knocked out the air conditioning system, and on hat hot summer day, the flowers had wilted and died.

I panicked, knowing I didn't have time to drive back to our hometown, gather more flowers, and return in time for the wedding. Tim turned to me. 'Edna, can you get more flowers? I'll throw away these dead ones and put fresh flowers in these arrangements.

'I mumbled, 'Sure,' as he be-bopped down the hall to put on his cuff links.

Alone in the large sanctuary, I looked up at the dark wooden beams in the arched ceiling. 'Lord,' I prayed, 'please help me. I don't know anyone in this town. Help me find someone willing to give me flowers - in a hurry!' I scurried out praying for four things: the blessing of white magnolias, courage to find them in an unfamiliar yard, safety from any dog that may bite my leg, and a nice person who would not get out a shotgun when I asked to cut his tree to shreds.

As I left the church, I saw magnolia trees in the distance. I approached a house...no dog in sight, I knocked on the door and an older man answered. So far so good. No shotgun. When I stated my plea the man beamed, 'I'd be happy to!

'He climbed a stepladder and cut large boughs and handed them down to me. Minutes later, as I lifted the last armload into my car trunk, I said, 'Sir, you've made the mother of a bride happy today. 'No, Ma'am,' he said. 'You don't understand what's happening here. '

'What?' I asked.

'You see, my wife of sixty-seven years died on Monday. On Tuesday I received friends at the funeral home, and on Wednesday . . . He paused. I saw tears welling up in his eyes. 'On Wednesday I buried her.' He looked away. 'On Thursday most of my out-of-town relatives went back home, and on Friday - yesterday - my children left.'

I nodded. 'This morning,' he continued, 'I was sitting in my den crying out loud. I miss her so much. For the last sixteen years, as her health got worse, she needed me. But now nobody needs me. This morning I cried, 'Who needs an eighty-six-year-old wore-outman? Nobody!' I began to cry louder. 'Nobody needs me!' About that time, you knocked, and said, 'Sir, I need you. 'I stood with my mouth open.
He asked, 'Are you an angel?

The way the light shone around your head into my dark living room...'I assured him I was no angel. He smiled. 'Do you know what I was thinking when I handed you those magnolias?'

'No..'

'I decided I'm needed. My flowers are needed. Why, I might have a flower ministry! I could give them to everyone! Some caskets at the funeral home have no flowers. People need flowers at times like that and I have lots of them. They're all over the backyard! I can give them to hospitals, churches - all sorts of places. You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to serve the Lord until the day He calls me home!

'I drove back to the church, filled with wonder. On Patsy's wedding day, if anyone had asked me to encourage someone who was hurting, I would have said, 'Forget it! It's my only daughter's wedding, for goodness' sake! There is no way I can minister to anyone today.

'But God found a way. Through dead flowers.

'Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.'

Be The Match

I've been on the Bone Marrow Registry for a couple years now...there was a drive for donors in my city because their was a local kids who needed a transplant. I had looked into it before, but it cost $75 at the time to be put on the list and there were always other places that my money went. So, when the drive was here DH and I went and got put on...but found out that because I have Native American blood and he is half Filipino we would have been put on for free anyway. Race plays a part in bone marrow matches and they have very few minorities and even fewer mixed race donors on the list so to encourge more diversity they make it free for minorities. 70% of people needing a transplant don't have a donor match in their family therefore this registry is critical. Obviously the more people that are on it the greater the chance of them finding a match and saving someone's life.

Anyway, I just got a letter from stating that they had a new website, Be The Match dot com, and asking me to go to the website and make sure my information was updated. While there I found out until Monday, June 22 anyone can be added to the registry for FREE! (As long as there is still funding.) Go there now! It's easy and painless and you could save a life!

You know you're in San Francisco when...

you go to the restroom and the sign on the door reads:

Self-Identified
Women

Please Respect Diversity

I was there for work yesterday :-) and it was a good reminder to me why we don't go there more often...not this sign, but the fact that it took an hour and a half to get there, but 4 HOURS to get home :-(