lfn 7/7/14

Hello Everyone,

Just home from another Rockies loss :(  What started as a hopeful year has quickly turned to a rather hopeless one!  This seems to happen often with our CR.  Went to my pre-op class so pretty much know what to expect.  They give you the worst-case scenario about surgery and then we hope for the best!  It will be fine, I'm sure!  Other than that, not too much going on.  We've just started watching season 2 of Breaking Bad and also have started Orange is the New Black.  Orange is about life in a women's prison.   We're really into the upbeat shows!  

This would have been Mom & Dad's 68th anniversary!  Wow!  That means the family portrait is 18 years old.  I'm looking at it right now thinking each one of the kids is now an adult.  They got older, but we didn't, right!  Time marches on...  Hoping all is good with each of you!  Below---cruisin on the Eurodam!

Love,

San

Attachments area

Preview attachment PB080230.jpeg

PB080230.jpeg

llgoz <llgoz@yahoo.com.au>	7/7/14		Reply
to Sandy, Tom, Tom, joanna, me, Rob, john, Nick, jennifer

Hello All,

San, I really enjoy your photos with Mum.  This is the way I want to think of her--content and loved, enjoying herself and her kids.

Nothing too interesting going on here.  Its chilly.  Our house has reached its low winter temp--50s?  Ok, maybe a little exxageration but not a lot.  Fortunately, its pretty much always beautiful outside.

Family well.

Lin, Im sorry to hear of Toms troubles.  You both must be rather fed up of the ride. Hopefully, there is better health ahead.

68 years---yikes.  That is a very LONG time.  Real staying power in them numbers.

Love to all,

Lisa

Sent from Samsung tablet

tom L <treehouse716@aol.com>	7/7/14		Reply
to skl19, TomLinCross, thompsonproper., me, threejohnstons, llgoz, jgoodeoz, nick.diack, jnif1018

...all is good here.  Allie wrote me the other day that she saw the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port.  I remember the day he was shot.  Dad and I went to church to say a prayer for his soul.  Often wonder if he received it.  (not quite sure why I brought that up, must have been the 68 number that you mentioned San.  Wasn't Kennedy shot in '68)?  No, that was '63 wasn't it?  I was 12.  6th grade.  Miss Lutz.  Christ the King.  Anyway 68 would be a long time to be married.  I'm not saying TOO long but...  At least when the portrait is 68 it won't ask questions like "Who am I" and "by the way, Who are you" and "have you seen my slippers"?  Yes indeed, we were all young.  Time does go by, doesn't it.  Gotta wonder if they are celebrating their anniversary together.  I would like to think so.  Hmmm

Also gotta wonder if I should hit the SEND button on this.  Oh, what the heck....

Pamela Lepore <pamelalepore@gmail.com>	7/7/14		Reply
to llgoz, Sandy, Tom, Tom, joanna, Rob, john

All well with rob & pam who are just pulling into big "d"....we are close to one of those views of Denver and dad would say "queen city of the plains"!

...we had a great trip! We hiked and camped and treated ourselves with a stop at mt Princeton hot springs (someone really dolled it up!!)

I am attaching a photo or two that only required three miles of climbing and hours of me bitching the entire way !

I love all you guys very much!

PS yes, that's ice in that lake!

It's holy cross wilderness ...it did not disappoint!!!

The lake is called fancy lake!

Attachments area

Preview attachment photo1.jpg

photo1.jpg

LFN #50

Hello All,

I wasn't going to forget LFN this week so am getting an early start.  Can't complain any longer that we've had no summer, because today was a beautiful day---sunny all day, HOT, and no storms!  Don and I had a serious cleaning day this morning---took up rugs and cleaned all floors.  Felt good to get that done, as it's not a favorite.  The big news for me is that my hip replacement will take place at 10:30 on JULY 15---much sooner than expected.  There were cancellations and I'm in!  I go for the pre-surgery check-up and joint replacement class this coming Tuesday.  Then July 9 I finally see the orthopedic doctor.  I will be in the hospital 2-3 days---maybe 1 if I can finangle my way out :)  On Friday Lin and I volunteered for Salvo.  Not a pleasant assignment as we were at a landfill (dump doesn't seem to be politically correct any longer) out by DIA where they're searching for the body of a 19 yr. old who was killed by a high school friend and put in a dumpster.  The search is taking place in an area 25' by 75' and 25' deep where they are sorting through all that compacted trash.  Can you imagine!  Could take weeks.  It was an easy job, as our menu of manicotti, meatballs, garlic bread, salad had to be replaced by pizza since someone forgot to fuel the canteen which meant no power to cook!  They had to send out to Pizza Hut.  We may volunteer again, as they seem to have trouble getting people.  

Another first to get through this week, as Mom would have turned 90!  Really hard to believe it's been one year.

Happy Fourth to everyone!  Mom at 85, I believe!

Love, San

Nice picture of Mom.  She really liked to open presents, didn't she.  It always was special to her.  Thought of her the other day as I was making a 'hospital tuck' while putting clean sheets on our bed. I always thought that was a cool thing to be taught by her.  Very practical and something that  is also worthwhile.  I like things like that.  Happy Birthday Mamma.   

And Happy 4th to all of you.

Guess I might be last here!

Just got back from a camping trip in crested butte! Great time, gorgeous country, wildflowers, perfect weather and

...lots of thoughts of mom!  

Mom and I had taken these same roads a couple of times to see the fall colors !!  

... it was great to have the memory of that time with mom, today, on her big 90.

Happy bday mom....wish you were here!!

lfn #49

ello Everyone,

I'm late on getting this out and dragging my feet a bit because it's been 1 year since we brought Mom home and had our last time with her.  So, rather than doing the chatty, newsy info, I will just say I hope all is good with everyone, that it's hard to believe it's been this long, and that I know we all miss Mom as much as ever!  SUCH A GOOD MOM WHO WE ALL LOVED SO MUCH!

San

Attachments area

Preview attachment P5191229.jpeg

P5191229.jpeg

llgoz <llgoz@yahoo.com.au>	6/23/14		Reply
to Sandy, Tom, Tom, joanna, me, Rob, john

Yes, one year.

Interesting what the illusion of time passing has felt like since then.

Looking at that photo of that huge group, its strange to think none of us would have been there if it wasn't for her.  Thats a pretty profound thought.  

I MISS MUM!

Love and thoughts to all,

Lisa

LFN#43 (MOMS EULOGY)

2 July 2013

When trying to think of words to describe Mom,  “EASY” comes to mind!  Such a simple word but it says so much about Mom.  She was agreeable, undemanding, accommodating, uncomplicated and never a burden.  

 Mom was always easy to be with, an absolute haven for all of us.   She was genuine and honest and had trust in each of us.

Another word that comes to mind is “Effortless”—

only Mom could make raising all of us look easy.  She had a knack for making it look effortless. Case in point, dinner for nine “miraculously” appearing each evening at six.

EASY, EFFORTLESS---just words to describe a Mom who in turn made it easy and effortless to be her children, grandchildren, in- law or family!  Sometimes Moms frankness may have taken each of us back a step but it always seemed to come from love.

Besides loving us, Mom loved stirring the glue a bit, fried peppers, shopping especially with a “bargain” involved, a bit of sweet, a good newspaper read in the morning, a ripe summer peach, a medium rare steak, China, cruising, casual dressing, laundry and ironing

…just kidding  about the laundry and ironing, although many of remember when Tuesday was dedicated to ironing uniforms, dads shirts and even the pillow slips.

And talking laundry brings to mind the sheer number of diapers the mother of seven must have laundered-

Does “effortless” and “easy” ring a bell?

Another descriptive word for Mom could be “serene”.  Could it be that you learn that with seven children and Tiny? Mom had the admirable ability to adapt and change.  She had a beautiful calm and peaceful affect but we all know she was made of very strong stuff.  She was always there for us but never intrusive never wanting to make a fuss.

Mom was never a complainer, never one to feel sorry for herself!  Even at the end,when asked, everything was always OK or fine!  We knew she wasn’t fine, but that was Mom unselfishly, wanting to reassure us.  Fortunately Moms wry sense of humor served her, and us well until the end.

Have a minute give “HEL” a call as that was usually about how long the conversation took

--- just a quick catch up on anything new, especially if it involved a sibling, a few niceties and then the HEL “dismissal”---but feel free to call the next time you have a minute cause Mom dearly loved hearing from us!!

Needless to say--we all wish we were able to make that call again.

Don’t worry about showing up hungry— Mom was always happy to feed you.

Speaking of food, hey we are Italian, so lets talk spaghetti dinners ---say a pound and a half of pasta per week---OK lets say… 75 pounds per year>hmmmm,x 65 years---well mom we can deduce that you cooked almost five thousand pounds of pasta!!

----and meatballs>15 per week over 60 years ----thats almost fifty thousand

>>>now that’s a lot of meatballs!

…and almost as many  conversations—> OFTEN all going on at the same time!!

—and Mom with her profound hearing loss---hanging in there, doing her best to stay with the crowd.  Of course we all remember how quickly the conversation could change gears when Mom hadn’t heard correctly, yet Mom never mentioned the cacophony about her as Mom found great joy in her children and grandchildren being together>>never mind that most were talking at the same time!

To talk about Mom and not mention Dads love and adoration for her over nearly 60 years would not be right.

Mom might have shown a bit of defiance coming home that first time in Tiny Lepore’s car.  Mom mentioned that Rose would not be happy seeing her daughter getting out of Dads car!

… but evidently she did make dad happy because they married and then came the baby carriages---all seven.

 And Mom made a very loving home for us.

We know leaving HEL behind must have been Dads big regret and he must be rejoicing in her arrival just as we are anguishing over her departure.

Despite the grieving, I hope being here today somehow secures what we remember about this great lady, our mom, her touch, her words, and her love for us.

To go on without our Mom is sad and difficult to imagine.

each of our smiles will shine less brightly in the future.  Something will forever be missing from our lives.  She was a bright light in our lives and we all were the light of her life  

>>>even until the end

>>>> and we knew it!

 ‘And as Mom might say

… that’s the way it goes!!!

Missing Mum