Susie & Theresa's Pumpkin Carving Party

Carrie & Robin couldn't have chosen a better street to live on in this San Diego neighborhood. Friendly neighbors continue to knock on the front door and present cute baby gifts for the "new kid" on the block. While walking Miriam, I thanked one of the neighbors for her kindness to our family. She said: "All of us on this block want to be neighborly like in days of old when people cared for each other." They have, indeed, achieved that level of love. Regardless of your sexual orientation, your faith beliefs, or your political choice, you are accepted here. This is America at its best! Nice to see folks living agreeably with one another.

So here's Carrie, Susanna and I at the Saturday night Autumn Party enjoying getting out.

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A Memorial Day Reflection

Memorial Day is always noteworthy for me and my girls. Next Thursday marks the third year of missing their father, my husband. So many thoughts run through my mind. The journey of loss takes on various emotions. The strongest feeling, at first, was emptiness. In a split second, I would forget he departed forever. I imagined things I needed to talk to him about when he got back home. My mind is realistic now. He's not coming back. There will be no more times of sitting on the porch swing together on the front deck staring at the moon and the stars. He would tell me all he knew about the majestic night sky. I have so much I wish I could tell him, like the excitement of seeing our oldest grandchild make a decision to follow Jesus and get baptized on Mother's Day! And our little Amy, 11 years old, I wish he could have seen her on stage receiving her induction to the National Honor Society. Our daughters have their own ...

Abba's Lap

I noticed a behavior pattern in little Amy, twenty months old, that I want to imitate. She moves fast engaging in one toddler activity after another spinning like a whirlwind from one room to another. Yet, she pauses, intermittently , long enough to get refreshed. I want to be like this grandchild of mine because she knows where to go and how to get comforted. Amy moves at record speed, putting more miles on a pedometer in one hour than my accumulated weekly workouts at the gym. She can build a skyscraper so tall, I wonder why those bright pink Lego’s don’t topple to the ground as she continues to stack just one more piece on top. I learned never to leave the room to get another cup of coffee. Once, when I returned, I found her climbing past the couch with hands and feet reaching for the living room drapes. She has a consistent habit that I admire. In the midst of her activities, as she moves robustly from one play...

A Surprise at the Mall

I lost touch with a writer friend. I missed her and her cheerful blog posts. We met up in a most unusual way! I’m still in awe of how it happened. I finished my shopping at the mall and took a short cut to get to the parking lot. The path led me through the food court. The smell of Chicken Fajitas stopped me in my tracks. I planned lunch elsewhere, but now I followed my nose. I chewed my first bite of chicken taco salad when, out of nowhere, a loud redhead moved rapidly past the tables and into the booth with me. “I know you !” She shouted. I pondered if I knew this crazy lady. Did she mistake me for someone else? She shouted louder and stuck her finger in my face: “ You’re Mary; you have a blog called Pile of Smiles and you live in the Verde Valley .” It took me a second to compose myself. I stopped chewing my food. I know I stared too long at her face and then she said:...

Choose Joy in the Journey

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