Preparation for a solemn day

Tomorrow is my Mom's yahrzeit. For those who don't know what that is, it is the anniversary of someone's death. Jewish tradition follows the Hebrew calendar dates, so although she died on Februrary 3rd this year that corresponding Hebrew date is January 31st. (Every wonder why Jewish holidays fall on different dates each year? This is why...) Of course the significance of February 3rd is much stronger for me and my family, but so is the actual yahrzeit date.

Although tomorrow is the date of the yahrzeit, you begin observing at sundown the night before the actual day (another one of our little quirks I guess).

To mark it this year, I am leaving work early to go home and light a candle for her. Well, plug in the little yarzheit light I have...burning a candle for 24 hours isn't the safest thing to do. I'll read a couple of psalms in honor of her as well. Tonight I will go to temple and recite the Mourners' Kaddish. I called my Dad to remind him that he should go to temple, especially since they will read her name outloud to the congregation there. My brother is in Ethiopia right now but I'll send him an email to remind him as well.

Tomorrow will be a quiet day and I will surround myself with caring friends and my wonderful little Lupe. I really want Lupe around as she brings me so much happiness and my Mom absolutely adored her. I've noticed that I've started to call her by the nicknames my Mom did. Its a silly connection, but still a meaningful one.

Happy Friday all and enjoy your weekend!!!

2 years ago...

...I lost an important person in my life, Steve's Dad, Forrest. Forrest was 63 years old and died from terminal lung cancer. He had smoked since he was a teenager to help him overcome a stutter. He fought hard to keep going and Steve fought hard to keep him living in his small home. I miss Forrest a lot, he may not have been perfect as a father or perfect as a husband, but he loved his family and wanted nothing more than his boys to be happy and to learn from his mistakes.

Forrest taught me about their family and their traditions. I will never forget the fantastic Christmas Eve dinners and how I was able to help him see a last one with his entire family (brother, sister, sons, daughter-in-law, 3 beautiful grandchildren and his best friend). I was blessed to be able to have helped the family say good-bye and support them through their grief.

I wouldn't have changed a thing. Well, maybe, one thing...having him still around.

Ms. Lupe

My wonderful Ms. Lupe has a REALLY bad UTI. Now for you and I we can tell that something is wrong and do something about it. Unfortunately for Ms. L, she has to wait until her mommy figures out that the 13 attempts at peeing while out for a walk is not a good thing. Nor are the drops of blood in her pee. This was Saturday.

So I called the vet and brought her in yesterday. $101 later, they informed me that she has blood, protein, crystals and bacteria in the urine sample I had to bring in. Ever try to get a urine sample from a dog? Quite interesting.

She is on antibiotics for 3 weeks. The vet told me to feed her yogurt so that the antibiotics don't kill her stomach. Luckily, she likes plain yogurt. Actually, she LOVES plain yogurt. Hopefully the antibiotics work, the infection clears up and we move on from this one. She does have the beginnings of a cataract in her right (good eye). The vet said not to worry about it yet because its just like having a spot on your glasses, you can see around it but its kind of annoying. He attributed this one to age and not genetics (like the one in her left eye).

I have a very lethargic, sore and pouty cockapoo on my hands. But she is very cuddly right now and that's wonderful when its cold outside. :)

Perspective...

Today I got an email from our VP of HR that one of the members of our Business Development department passed away last night. He had been sick for under a month with what was originally thought to be an ear infection. From what I have heard there was a pooling of blood or fluid at the base of his brain that was inoperable and if they did try to fix it he would have most likely ended up a quadriplegic, deaf and blind. He was admitted to hospice last week and has succumbed to his condition.

He had only been with our company for a couple of months and I didn't work with him very closely, but he was very friendly. He and I spoke about corporate softball teams, he used to run a league in his old position, and I even mentioned to him that he should contact Steve to see if he needed a pitcher for next season.

I'm truly saddened by his passing. It makes everything I've been going through seem trivial. But at the same time, it shows me life is short and you should treasure what you have had and enjoy what you got and be hopeful of what your future may bring.

Today, take a moment and look at where you've been, where you are and where you want to be. Be thankful for it all and do what you can to keep you focused on the good in life and people. We never know when it may all be taken away from us for one reason or another.

Resolutions

Thought I would officially write down my resolutions for 2009. I want to be able to look back at 2009 and be proud of what I have accomplished in the year...

1. Take better care of myself (physically and emotionally).
2. Be a better daughter, sister, cousin, friend and "mom" to those I care about the most.
3. Pay off more debt.
4. Be more patient and less jumpy towards people.
5. Achieve professional success and goals.
6. Do more things I like.

Yeah, I know, these are pretty big things but they are things that will help me grow more. I have already started some of them...I know, the year is only 6 days old. This past weekend my brother came in and we worked on #3. I have a six month plan on how to get things under control. We also worked on #1 and I joined a gym last night. Even did a pilates class.

So, there they are...in 12 months I guess I'll see how well I did. Wish me luck!!!