Hazy shades of winter

The song " A hazy Shade of Winter" 

by the all girl group "The Bangles" is 

one of my favorite songs.

     Even though it is late August I still

play this song and reflect on the haunting

lyrics of this somber song

    "Time time time... see whats become of me." 

      "Hang on to your hopes my friend."

The words remind me of the loneliness

and sadness in my life that sometimes

I feel.

     This song was used in the 80's film

"Less than Zero."

      Have you ever watched a movie and

get chills as you are watching it?

     It is a surreal feeling and to be quite

honest a little scary.

     I lived my own less than zero story

In my early twenties.

    A combination of a over indulged

lifestyle that my parents gave me and

living life in the fast lane created a "perfect winter storm."

     Well maybe not so perfect.

But like the words in the song

   "Seasons change like the scenery leaving time in a tapestry."

    Time time time ...... 

      In loving memory of Jeff Shurack

      who I lost and still miss dearly.

   He passed away at 21, in the springtime

   of his life after his own "hazy shade of Winter.

     

      

      

      

      

Where has my family gone?

My mom always instilled in her children that family is the most important thing in your life. 

    Growing up i have wonderful memories of our family sharing everything from family vacations, celebrations, births, weddings and holidays.

      I also remember my family was always 

there in times of tragedy, heartbreaks, sicknesses, and sadly the death of my parents.

       My mother held our family together after my dad lost both his legs and eventually his life from complications from 

Diabetes.

    Even though my parents were so close and married 42 years, my mom continued

to "hold" our broken family together.

    I as well as my two sisters and brother were married and had our own children.

In other words we now were four separate

families. The truth is we all went our separate ways and sadly we hardly saw 

one another. 

     We all continued to stay close to my mother she sadly was the only thing we

all had in common as the years went by. 

   My mom passed away suddenly in 2006 in her sleep and that is also the day me and my siblings literally stopped being a family. 

   The day of her funeral I had a terrible fight with my youngest sister who made a stupid dig  directed to me about how she was mom's favorite and she should have my mom's huge diamond heart ring.

   We didn't even attend her funeral and 

that's all my sister had on her mind?

    In my mother's eyes we were all loved

and we all were her "favorite" in one way or another. She loved all her children.

   I regret it now but I screamed at her for being so materialistic and she cried hysterically, as she climbed into the back of one of two limo's that arrived.

   Me and my older sister who ironically,

became a widow just two weeks prior to my mother's death , took the other car.

   Over the next six years i have seen my siblings once a year. 

   We are all to blame, myself included. 

    

    

    We now basically use Facebook to communicate and to say happy birthday.

Sometimes we even comment or "like"

a photo to be polite. 

    My older sister lives less than four miles from me and she called me yesterday and i declined the call. I haven't

heard from her since I made Passover dinner, last April and knew she was calling to see if I was making my annual

Roshashana dinner.

    No, this year I am breaking the pattern and for the first time since my mother passed away i am bringing in the Jewish

New Year with my husband, my mother-in-law, and my three precious children.

    I am also not breaking the fast after

Yom Kippur, at my brother's country club.

I haven't seen him and my younger sister, who got the heart ring, since I broke the fast last year.

    Maybe then my siblings will finally understand the lesson my mother was

desperately trying to teach us.

    Family is not only important on the High

Holidays . Maybe my absence will make my brother and sisters realize that life is so short we should cherish the time we spend together like we did so many years ago.

    I love my family so much and I am the only one who knows.

    So sorry mom, 

    

My family

     

    

  

      

      

 

Good "lucky" Charms

 🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

This is Lucky, my gorgeous Siamese cat i saved five years ago when I found him at Bide-A-Wee pet rescue.

     We named him lucky because me and my family love and pamper our pets.

      Lucky is not only beautiful but a loyal

Loving friend.

      We adopted "Gia", a abused Russian Blue kitten four years ago from The Humane Society. 

     Gia, was about 3 months when we adopted her and because she was a pure Russian Blue breed many people were interested in adopting her. They checked all five references we gave them.

     A few days late we were notified that 

we could adopt Gia.

    We went to pick her up that day and a volunteer from the Humane Society told

me that Gia was going to need a elot of love

because she suffered greatly.

    Then the Volunteer grinned and said

Gia was so lucky to be adopted by us.

       Every reference we gave told the agency said we treated and loved our cats

like members of the family, she told us.

     "You get back the love you give."

  

This is Gia, now a very happy four year old 

Who is fast asleep on my bed!

   We adopted "Baby" a adorable grey tiger tabby almost three years ago.

He loves my husband and sleeps by his side every night.

Adopting a pet of any kind is truly a blessing. 

   Save a life, adopt or donate to your 

Local animal shelter.

    My cats are one of greatest "grins"🐱🐱🐱

 

     

    

Somewhere over the rainbow

   Rainbows some say is a sign that there is hope at the end of a storm.

    Spiritual research says the rainbow was a message to Noah and his Arc from

God promising to never flood earth again.

    Others say a rainbow is a spiritual cleansing, promising the worst is over aka, a storm, and days ahead will get better.

This is the rainbow I saw 

               

                     

    "Somewhere over the rainbow way up 

      high. There's a land that I heard of 

      once in a lullaby"

                     (The wizard of Oz)

 

I saw this beautiful rainbow last nite when  

was exiting "Grillfire" a restaurant on Sunrise Highway in Merrick, NY.

     My daughter who is 12 asked "Is that a rainbow?" 

      I was very surprised, " You never saw a real rainbow before?" 

      "No" she replied.

How sad is it that most kids know how to draw a rainbow with crayons yet never actually seen one?

    Rainbows have become a rare sight,

so my daughter along with others leaving the restaurant snapped a photo or two.

    

I realized then that I myself haven't seen a rainbow in years.

       Rainbows like this one should celebrated. 

       Rainbows make me grin!!!