“April is the cruelest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land, mixing memory and desire, stirring dull roots with spring rain.”
–T.S. Eliot
Think this quote has been taken to mean “taxes” more recently, but I like to take the entire quote at its original wording.
Okay, so it’s more snow than rain around here at the moment. Lousy April Fools’ joke if you ask me. That was two days ago you know!
I don’t have a lamb or a lion, but Lumos is still a feline. I’d hoped to have a humorous shot of him to include here, but I seem to have misplaced it.
From the sounds of things around here this week, lots of regulars with the TToT are having trouble coming up with 10 T’s. Mine are to follow, minus any photos this week I’m afraid. Ooh, except for one…because we were celebrating him this week. It was taken back at Christmas, but you get the idea.
🙂
As for the TToT, some are borrowing thankfuls from other members. I am scrambling, somewhat and after a week of feeling sick, for mine, but here goes nothing.
For Patty Duke.
She died this week, but she is remembered, for me, as Helen Keller, plus all her work as a mental illness advocate.
For my younger brother’s existence, while celebrating his birthday.
He’s the best brother anyone could ask for, one hell of a musician, and the strongest person I’ve ever known.
Can’t believe this is the final year of his twenties. Due to some extremely unforeseen events since his previous birthday, we came close to losing him, or at least the “him” we’ve become so accustomed to.
🙂
On this birthday of his in particular, I am thankful for the brother I know, better than nearly anyone else.
For organ donation and the newest friend to receive a new lease on life.
My brother has had this gift given and is making the most of it for the last three years now, but now it’s been another person’s turn.
My family have known her and hers since she was only a few years old and since I was first diagnosed with kidney disease. It’s been twenty years, in fact, since our families met.
She has gone through more than many people, a lot in her life, and she is finally free after years of endless dialysis treatments.
The whole organ donation thing is, I fully acknowledge, a touchy subject. If you’ve never known someone who was truly in need, you can’t possibly understand what it means to be free of machines and fatigue and fear.
I struggle because it means someone lost their life. I don’t celebrate that. I only see the good that can come from something so awful. I will forever be torn, even though my brother and myself have and will probably benefit from organ donation more in the years to come, barring major medical advancements.
For a lovely walk, fresh air, after being sick and cooped up for what felt like days.
It was growing dark and all it was was a short walk down the block in my parent’s neighbourhood. My nephew loved tossing stones into the water that had accumulated there.
The wind was biting, but it was also refreshing. I needed the air to flood my recently so stuffy lungs.
For not being sick anymore.
I was sick and tired of all the aches, coughing, and the monster.
Ozzy Osbourne sings a line in one of his songs that I love about “being sick and tired of being sick and tired” and this is not totally gone away from my life, but after a bad cold finally vacates my body, I am often able to realize how happy I am to have one less thing to deal with.
For the return of my normal voice.
It sounded, for a few days there, as if a monster had taken over my body, specifically my vocal cords.
I hope to finally have another violin lesson. Unforeseen events, my feeling unwell, these have resulted in me only getting one lesson this past month or so. Not cool.
For old memories, nostalgia, and endless laughter.
The Things I’ve Seen and Heard
My brother and I listened to old tapes he is digitalizing. All the laughter was hard on my body, after the cold, but it also felt nice, like shaking off cobwebs in the corners of a room that has been shut up to the open for too many consecutive days.
For the passing of yet another April Fools’ Day, for another year.
I am the first one to advocate for more humour in the world, as was one of my 10 from last week, but the day set aside for jokes and pranks is more of a nuisance than a laugh for me now.
I am highly gullible. Although a lot of the jokes played by and on me in person were a thing of my youth, now it’s all on Facebook. So much so, that I may stay off of Facebook entirely next April 1st.
For baseball starting up for the 2016 season.
Today was the first season game and Toronto won!!! Keep that up boys.
Her Headache 
I love how close you and your brother are. Happy birthday to him!
I loved Patty Duke in The Miracle Worker. There was a made-for-tv version where she played Annie Sullivan and Melissa Gilbert played Helen Keller. I even liked the goofy Patty Duke Show!
Glad you’re feeling better.
Currently Royals 4 Mets 3 in the top of the 9th. Go Royals!
I love it too.
🙂
Yes, I had heard of that version, though I haven’t watched it. It’s hard for me to imagine her switching those iconic roles around though.
Here’s hoping for a good season of baseball all round.
that day when you get up and realize that the cold that had become such a condition as to change how the world felt, has left… that is a very good feeling.
you want to hear something weird?
I’m very not into most sports as a fan… maybe golf, on occasion if only because it’s an excellent sport to nap to, while watching it on tv… (sleep, wake, check the Leader Board, back to sleep) but, in general not a sports fan, but then I found myself listening to baseball! …. on the radio!!!! (no, really. college baseball, to be precise. on one of the two college stations that I have on my car radio presets… they (college radio) are the only saving grace in terms of listening to radio… in large part because they’re not professional and commercial, I guess. I’ve tried watching professional baseball on tv and, just as before… total boredom, but in my car, surfing and I come across a game, I’m all, ‘hey! a game!’
Weird. Lol
Yes. Radio is better. On the radio I am on a level playing field.
😉
Great list! Happy birthday to your brother. I too am glad he is around to celebrate. He sounds wonderful.
Organ transplants/donations…A friend had a heart transplant at the age of 22. He is now 54 and has lived with his “new” heart longer than he had his first. He is a great husband and dad having been given that opportunity by the parents of a teenager who died in a motor vehicle accident a long time ago. What an amazing gift.
He is. I’m glad it comes through in my writing.
🙂
That is amazing. Next year I will hit 20 years with my kidney. I hope to keep that going for years to come. It is truly amazing. It’s even more amazing with the human heart.
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I’m always happy to hear of another successful transplant.. Celebrating it is a way of honouring the gift from the one who gave it.
I’m so glad your brother wasn’t lost to you before this birthday. May you both enjoy many more.
xxx Huge Hugs xxx
It is.
Me too. So so glad.,. Thank you.
🙂
This reads like way more than ten things of thankful. I am glad you are feeling better. That sounds like one heck of a cold when laughing hurts. Organ donors are champions as I see it. I’m happy for your friend.
Thank you. It was. They certainly are.
I’ve signed up for the organ donor system here in the UK and if I pass away and can give someone else a life free of troubling hospital visits and machines around them then I would like everybody to celebrate that. It means celebrating my life too. 🙂
Thank you for doing that.
Happy Birthday wishes to your brother Kerry!
Only 1 violin lesson? You must be hating that! And looking forward to next lesson bigtime 🙂
I remember the first time I watched The Miracle Worker as a kid. It was a very powerful movie. Like Dyanne, I also enjoyed the Patty Duke show.
Glad to hear you are feeling better Kerry 🙂
Thank you. Had my second lesson last night. It was great to get back at it, but exhausting. I came home and slept for nine hours.
🙂
I know a little more of the song at least.
Yes. No film had ever had such an impact on me at that time like that one did when I discovered it.
What a heartfelt post. Glad to hear you’re in better health, Kerry.
And, do you ever listen to Fresh Air on NPR? Terry Gross replayed her interview with Patty Duke this week. Here’s a link if you want to check it out:
http://www.npr.org/2016/04/01/472669644/fresh-air-remembers-actress-patty-duke
I never have, but thank you for sharing this link. I will check that out now.
Finally, I have made it here, my friend! And now I understand your comment on my post regarding organ donation. I understand your feelings of being torn regarding the subject, and I understand how very important and necessary organ donation is. Personally, I have chosen to be an organ donor for the life altering and saving purpose it is intended. Much love, dear, do forgive me for reading & commenting so late ❤
No worries. Please do forgive my late reply to your reply.
🙂
Yes, I felt torn, even and especially only days after my brother received a kidney from an angel and their family. I even wrote them a letter, thanking them and letting them know what kind of a person my brother is and what he means to me, plus what they’d done for me, for us. It was the hardest thing I’ve yet written, but I needed to write it all the more.
Thanks for understanding about this terribly complex issue.