Category: Arizona

A Celebration of Life

LuAnn

Did I ever tell you you’re my hero? You’re everything, everything I wish I could be.
Oh, and I, I could fly higher than an eagle, ’cause you are the wind beneath my wings. Fly, fly, fly high against the sky, so high I almost touch the sky. Thank you, thank you, thank God for you, the wind beneath my wings.   ~Bette Midler~

On Tuesday, March 15th, my dear friend Barbara Burke, gifted artist and musician, passed away with her husband Peter by her side.  Hers was a long illness of 12+ years, but even so, her beautiful spirit always showed through the pain and suffering and she was able to create amazing works of art on her computer, with her big toe, until the very end .  She was a gift to us all, too soon gone.

I was one of the lucky ones to have had you in my life Barb, if even for a few short years, and my life will forever be enriched by your beauty and your grace.  You taught us all such precious lessons and your strength through all your suffering will carry us through.  You were a rare jewel that we were able to touch and marvel at, as you took care of all of us and made us better people for having known you.

You are soaring now with the eagles, unencumbered by your physical body and a wheelchair, with the wind in your hair.

Rest easy, my anam cara, until we meet again.

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Happy Holidays

LuAnn

As most of you know, we headed north of the border in early December to spend time with family and friends during the holiday season.  The first leg of our journey began in Phoenix, where we had stored our vehicle and personal belongings.  When we opened our storage unit and began to pare it down even further, we were struck by what minimalists we have become, which made me reflect on what is important to us and what we all (if we are honest with ourselves) at times lose sight of, with the hectic event that has become our daily lives.

We spent the first two days in Phoenix with our good friends Carl and Marcia, whose kindness and generosity of spirit are so uplifting and my hope is that each of you have someone in your life who gives so freely of themselves as they do.

Carl, Marcia, Jassmine (Jazz), Me, and Terry

From Phoenix we headed to Sedona for several days, to spend time with our friends Rosie and Jim, as well as Barb and Pete.

Rosie and Jim, as always, were generous with their time and opened their home to us. Jim went out of his way to keep us fed, cooking for us and others daily. Thank goodness we hiked most days to counterbalance the additional calories we consumed.  I don’t know what made my stomach hurt more; too much of Jim’s good cooking or his wacky sense of humor, which kept us laughing.

Me and Rosie
Jim
Jim and Rosie's Christmas Steer

Last, but certainly not least, are Barb and Pete, two special friends that we always look forward to spending time with in Sedona.  Most of you have already heard me speak of Barb.  Barb is my anam cara, my soul friend, who has been ill for many years.  She and her husband Pete have such courage and strength in the face of adversity.  I pray that I could conduct myself with the same grace that they do everyday if I were faced with the same challenges.

Pete and Barb
Barb's Amazing Nutcracker Collection!

We are fortunate to have friends spread across the country, as well as friendships developed in Mexico.  Kevin and Erin are two we met in Mexico, friends and mentors, who so generously give of their time and their knowledge and made our transition to Lakeside so easy, and we feel blessed to have them in our lives.

It would be lovely to spend the holidays with all our friends but obviously, this is unrealistic, so here is to all our friends fondly remembered at this time.  May we all step away from the stress of the commercialism of the holiday season and take a few moments to practice loving kindness for family (those close to us and those estranged), friends, and all those known to us and unknown who are suffering  at this time.

This year we are fortunate to be spending the holidays with family, unlike years of the past.   May this season find you embracing family and friends and may 2011 bless each of us with a sense of peace as we navigate through the waters of our lives.

Happy Holidays!


Hello Retirement!

LuAnn

This is my first official blog since stepping across the threshold of retirement.  This word, for me at times, has evoked some less than positive thoughts, so I decided to review its definition as provided by good old Webster’s.  His definition of retirement is as follows:  “withdrawal into privacy or seclusion”, with the lovely synonyms of “desolation”, “quarantine”, “separation”, and “solitude” thrown into the mix.  Who wouldn’t want to sign up for that?  Well, if you are not yet totally depressed, let me tell you that, although I enter this new phase of my life with a little trepidation, I do not intend to embrace Webster’s depiction of retirement, but choose instead to open my mind to discovering what is possible, both through the eyes of nature and exploring the inner dimension.

I am enjoying my first few weeks of “seclusion” in Sedona, Arizona, where my husband Terry and I resided before we ventured into the wilderness of Yellowstone National Park and all of its wonders.  Since Terry and I will be doing some traveling and will spend a good portion of our time south of the border for the forseeable future, I could not leave before feeding my soul by visiting my friend Barbara for a few weeks.

I met Barb approximately 5 years ago at a company picnic where I spotted her across the lawn and our lives have remained entwined ever since.  Barb is a gifted artist and musician whose life took a sharp turn when she was exposed to heavy metals in her studio back east.  She is now confined to a wheelchair, and although she is entrapped in her physical body in many ways, her mind and soul still soar with the eagles!  She is so in tune with nature (delighting in her plants and the birds in her garden) and expresses herself beautifully in her artwork and her writing, all perfected on the computer with the use of her big toe!

One of the simple joys for me when I am with Barb is our bedside chats, which actually is me crawling in bed with her to say good morning and sharing personal thoughts and reflections.  At these times I feel we are standing before each other, stripped down, being true to ourselves, no pretenses, no judgments.  Barb has a way of cutting through all that is irrelevant.  Does she realize what lessons she is teaching to those of us who are blessed to know her in this way?  I think not.

Barbara is my anam cara (soul friend), the one who reminds me not to be afraid to show the world the real me, the person who I am and the one I want to be.  It is fitting that I should begin my retirement in a place of beauty like Sedona, alongside the beautiful spirit who is Barb.  It is fitting that my initial blog honor Barb, the one who sees me as I am, loves me as I am, just as I love her.

Please enjoy the photos of Barb’s garden and those of Sedona and, for those who are venturing into retirement, already there, or on the path to getting to know and honoring their true self, “take your candle and go light your world”.  ~Kathy Troccoli~

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