{"id":46388,"date":"2020-06-14T21:03:05","date_gmt":"2020-06-15T04:03:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/?p=46388"},"modified":"2020-06-15T08:42:01","modified_gmt":"2020-06-15T15:42:01","slug":"busy-is-as-busy-does-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/?p=46388","title":{"rendered":"Busy Is As Busy Does!"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Grief is not a disorder, a disease, or a sign of weakness. It is an emotional, physical, and spiritual necessity, the price you pay for love. The only cure for grief is to grieve.” – Earl\u00a0Grollman<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Early in our marriage, Sue found an advertisement for a Christmas Musical and Brunch out in the town Clairmont.\u00a0 Going to the Candlelight Dinner Theater in Clairmont for the Christmas play was our tradition for twenty-nine years.\u00a0 We went alone the firsts time, and then we added our mothers.\u00a0 The following year we added our aunts and cousin.\u00a0 By the early 1990s, we invited our kids, grandkids,\u00a0 and over the years we added friends and family.\u00a0 One year we had 110 people.<\/p>\n

Sue, like me, hated shopping, and giving physical gifts became a real hassle.\u00a0 So, we decided to “give memories.”<\/em>\u00a0 Memories cannot be re-gifted, memories live with you forever, and we get to share memories with family and friends at this particular time of year.<\/p>\n

She was so excited about the play every year, and seeing everyone together made her very happy. This year would be our 29th year, but alas, it is not to be.\u00a0 I will continue the tradition, but without my Sue, it will not be the same. I miss her so very much.<\/p>\n

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Memories at the Christmas Play.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Well put and so very accurate!<\/p><\/div>\n

The morning started pretty sadly for me. This morning I had to be up bright and early to move Sue’s clothes from the garage to the driveway.\u00a0 \u00a0The Los Alamitos High School dance club advertised that they were having a fundraising activity since the virus problem stopped all of their normal fundraising activities. They were collecting clothes to raise funds. So I put two and two together; they needed money for their dance club, and I needed to donate Sue’s clothes. I am sure Sue would be excited about the arrangement because she loved to dance so very much, and helping kids was always important to her.<\/p>\n

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Packed up and ready to make others happy.<\/p><\/div>\n

I could not be there at 8:45 AM because I had to be in Orange at 9:00 AM for a birthday celebration. So I put everything in the driveway, and while I was at breakfast, my Nest security system alerted me that things were being picked up. I was happy that I was not there and only viewing it remotely.\u00a0 There were a lot of good memories in those boxes.\u00a0 Sue looked so incredible in her gowns and, as she used to say, “sparkly outfits.”<\/p>\n

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Twenty-two packing boxes were ready for pickup.<\/p><\/div>\n

The garage security cam picked up the whole event. I did not watch the entire affair as I was too sad.<\/p>\n

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Caught on security camera, made me tear up!<\/p><\/div>\n

I was invited by Lee to attend her daughter’s birthday celebration held at The Original Pancake House in Orange, California. Lee and I were “an item” sixty years ago while in High School.\u00a0 We reconnected a decade ago and Sue, Lee, and I were good friends.\u00a0 At my 50th high school reunion, Sue and I picked up Lee and the three of us went together.<\/p>\n

Losing Sue was a horrible experience, and I thought it would be good to meet some new people.\u00a0 Lee lost her husband several years ago so she can relate to my present situation.\u00a0 I thought it would be fun to meet the rest of Lee’s family.\u00a0 Sue and I knew Michele, her daughter,\u00a0 and her granddaughter from last year’s Christmas play, but I had not met Michele’s husband and several of the others at the table.<\/p>\n

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Happy birthday Michele!<\/p><\/div>\n

Lee and I got our pictures taken by Brett, who, by the way, is a law-enforcement officer and will be enforcing the law in Rossmoor for about six months.\u00a0 Now I will have to behave!\u00a0 That was quite a coincidence.<\/p>\n

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It is impressive that we have known each other for over sixty years. We met in 1960 when the dinosaurs roamed the earth!<\/p>\n

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Lee and I at The Original Pancake House.<\/p><\/div>\n

Listen to the music of our day, the greatest hits of 1960!<\/p>\n