Ramblings of an Old, Romantic Soul

  Memories, some fresh, some not invade my thoughts today being held within your arms,  you promising to stay Remembering each tingle each whisper on my skin spoken words, so tenderly all lies, to my chagrin. Betrayal stings, wounds the heart nostalgic days are tough Wistful, bereft spirit sighs, my love was not enough Kristina M. Hooper 8/02/2022

 It is Good Friday. My mind is full of memories, pictures from the past.  I was talking with my husband the other day about life; what we expect, is it what we thought it would be? It's no secret that he and I have had our 'differences', politically. It's tough. We've been married 25 years. Is our marriage, today, what we thought it would be? Yes, and no. Did we ever think we would be at odds? I said to him: "life takes over - we're not so innocent anymore. The pure joy of childhood dissipates. What we thought life would be changes. Life may not be quite what we thought it would - not that it's bad, just not what our child minds envisioned."  How true.  Early this morning, I was chatting with a very dear friend, one of the best humans I will ever know - Joan. She is my rock, and her faith constantly lifts me up. This what Joan said that has me thinking so much: "Remembering my childhood with a new Easter dress, fancy coat, Easter hat, ruffled ...

Tomorrow, Mom will have turned 92. I’ve been struggling with what to write, how to honor her memory. At the memorial mass, my eldest sister, Mary Jo, shared a beautiful reflection of her memories, of many things that most people didn’t know about Mom. So, with her permission, I decided now is a perfect opportunity to share with all of you. To Carmella - the myth, the legend! Happy birthday, Mom. You are loved, remembered, and missed every day ❣️ THIS IS A TRIBUTE TO A WOMAN OF STRENGTH, ENDURANCE, AND LOVE ~ MY MOM A wise man recently told me that “your personality is God-given, but your temperament is a learned behavior”.  On the surface, the two may not match and may contradict one another, which can be confusing to say the least to yourself and those you love. But with the help of the Great Physician, it doesn’t have to stay that way.   As I prayed and reflected on what I was going to say today I struggled through many emotions before finding the right words. Like many moth...

Expectations never live up to the hype in my mind, and usually end in disappointment.  I know this. Yesterday started with high hopes and ended in tears. On my part. But first, a little history that may explain why my anticipation was so great. Years and years ago - perhaps 50ish - Mom received a beautiful manger scene for her birthday/Christmas presents.  Dad gave her the creche, and my siblings and I gave her the figurines. It has been one of Mom's prized possessions.  It has been displayed every Christmas.  It has been the centerpiece of our family's Christmas celebrations.  We would gather round the manger and sing Christmas carols, then each grandchild would walk up to the manger and place the figurine (of their choice ) into the manger. The youngest grandchild would lay baby Jesus in the crib and we would sing happy birthday to Jesus.  Beautiful memories that will forever live in my heart.  Back to yesterday.  My plan - and this wa...