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I see him right now

Is it true? I ask my oldest brother, I will not see grandfather anymore, he answered no, it is not true.

“We will see him more,” my brother said. “Every time we feed the canary in the bird cage that he made, we will see him; in the rose garden that he planted we will see him; in the piano bench he built for you, in the old chair in the backyard where he sat and read to us, with his friends when they talk about him, at the park where he played the guitar, in our hearts forever.”

“Do you understand?” he asks me.

“Yes I do. I see him right now.”

On Thursday evening, I received a phone call from my oldest brother, he was happy like always. He told me, “Have the Lambrusco red wine ready, I want to show you my new guitar. I’ll be there tomorrow evening.”

I had not seen my brother since our last family reunion back in March, but always kept in touch with phone calls and email. We always been so closed and I have learned so much from him. I was very happy he was coming and decided to surprise him with one of his favorite dishes “spicy shrimp with rice” and of course the wine.

On Friday morning September 14, 2007 my oldest brother died in a car accident.

But you know, I will see my brother more. Every time I open the music box he made for me, in our pictures together holding me, in my living room playing the guitar, in the books he gave me, at the park where we play, in his children and grandchildren, in my heart forever.

Do you understand? I see him right now.

By Mardo…

This is Doris Eaton Travis who will soon be 104. She is the last surviving Ziegfeld Girl and still dances better than most people ever could dance. She performs yearly at “Broadway Cares,” a fundraiser held in New York City. Below is the link.

See Doris Dance! – ‘Century Girl – 100 Years in the Life of Doris Eaton Travis, Last Living Star of the Ziegfeld Follies’

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is mystery, our gift is today, this moment, and that’s why it is called the present. This is my adaptation of a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt.

I believe we only have the second we are in and if we focus on that, all the other past and future seconds become negligible and they lose their power over us.

Guilt is thinking about the past and worry is thinking about the future. Look at any other living creature and see how much time it spends in the past or the future. I was once at the Honolulu Zoo where brightly feathered chickens roam free. I watched a mother with about six babies. She was watching her babies, in particular one who kept falling down, always in the back of the line. She would run to this little chick and encourage it to keep moving. Whether she saw the 200 pound tortoise or new she was in its enclosure, I don’t know but I saw the giant, slow, lumbering creature following, keeping an eye on the little, apparently ill chick.

I thought they were primarily vegetarians but within about five minutes the tortoise had the little chick in its mouth. The mother ran back and created a ruckus but the tortoise was fast and when the little chick, still showing from the mouth of the tortoise, stopped peeping the mother went and tended to her other healthy chicks, just as if nothing ever happened.

That is living in the moment and although I don’t think human beings should disregard the past or the future but they should spend less time living there and more time living the now.

Many religions and cultures adhere to this thought but we as individuals don’t. In the Christian bible Jesus says, and again, I take liberty in quoting:

Don’t worry about what you will wear tomorrow or what you will eat. Look at the birds of the air, are they worried? Look at the lilies of the field. Solomon in all of his glory did not look as beautiful as any one of them and tomorrow they will be cut down with grass and turned into the fire. Don’t you think you are looked after more than all of them? So worry not about tomorrow, for the moment has trouble of its own.

I was taught to be courteous and complement people in an honest positive way. We are living in a fast, over sensitive, digital world and forget to slowdown.

I try to be a faithful observer of life  and as time goes  by, I am glad to see and listen to people still asking with a (please) and responding with (you’re welcome) greeting with (good morning) or (hello) and  (good night) or (good bye.) But, saying nothing at the middle.

Saying nothing at the middle? Let me explain; The other day I went groceries shopping, when I arrived at the cashiers and as I was paying , I was asked how I was doing and my response was “very good thank you, but  how are you doing after been for hours on you’re feet and still be able to keep a nice smile”.  She stared at me with a pause and stated: We are train to be courteous with  customers, very rarely we get a complement especially after dealing with rude people.

She finishes by adding “You know I don’t feel tired anymore thanks to you” Her words melt my heart, like I am sure I melt hers.

People work hard in different ways and it is sad how we have neglected to complement each other.

So, smile and complement each other,

By Mardo…