This Place I Love! The Kenai, Alaska Bluff (March 1997)

I love to sit in the tall grasses that blanket the bluff's edge...as they, in comfort, welcome the wondrous Kenai River below me. I feel my spirit come to life at this gentle, calming place, and I cherish the moment. I watch the Beluga whales as their snow-white silhouette's ripple the artic water on their journey up river to feast. I want to be the cool Alaskan breeze as they take each breath! I want to be the chatter of the sea gulls and the hum in the motors of the tiny fishing boats that bring this grand river to life. I want to be the wind that caresses this soothing mantle of green as it mesmerizes every thread of my being. I want to be the crisp clean air as the bald eagles seem to glide through it at the bluff's edge with such effortless majesty. I want to be the awe that I feel when I see them. I want to be the feeling that I get when I wave to a low flying bush pilot as he tips the wings of his little float plane as his way of wavying back to me. There are no strangers in this great land! In the stillness of these soft meadowy grasses I have never felt more alive. As the coolness of the afternoon breeze blushes against my cheeks, everything that is in me awakens. I feel contentment and peace. The perfect harmony between nature and humanity is reborn. Gone are the past hurts and disappointments. Gone are the trials that we call 'life'. All that remains is the clear knowledge that all is well with my soul. All is well because I am here at this place I love!

A Message from Beyond

This is a story about my friend Sue. She passed away just a few days ago. We were very close. She carried a cell phone at work and instead of a ring on the phone, when it went off, it sounded like a flock of birds. We were all amused by it. Sue also had a song that she would sing, off key of course, about flying birds flying over the ocean.

On the day that Sue passed a coworker and I were talking about her and about how her phone sounded like a flock of birds and that we would miss that. We got a couple of customers and went back to work, when all of a sudden there was the loudest bird call from across the store. My coworker looked at me and said, "Did you hear that?" I said, "Yes, it sounded like birds." We were both alittle freaked out....when a few moments later it happened again VERY loud. As it turned out it was a customer making bird sounds, but we both knew that it was Sue letting us know that she was alright. Even though we've shed alot of tears, we had a peace in our hearts about hearing that loud bird call, because only Sue would do that for us.

This morning I went shopping for groceries on the Military Base here. I knew that it would be difficult for me to shop today because I often ran into Sue on base. As I was driving toward the exit of the base after shopping the most bizarre thing happened. Right in front of me, a pair of Canadian Geese flew side by side right in front of me! Mind you, I am a native Las Vegan and I have NEVER seen Canadian Geese here, ever. I've seen the snow geese on their migration, but I have never seen Canadian Geese, let alone only two of them.

I knew immediately that Sue sent these birds for me to see....to let me know that our friendship still mattered and that she was safe and well on the other side. After the geese flew past me, I turned to see where they were going and they were GONE!

A Tough Pill To Swallow

On March 19, 2008 life kicked me right in the teeth when my BEST friend and coworker, Sue passed away suddenly at home. Sue was only 52 and suffered from serious diabetes and congestive Heart failure. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard the announcement that she was gone. I have worked next to Sue for several years....just a couple of feet away from each other. She was my friend at work and away from work through emails and phone calls. Sue was well LOVED by everyone at my store. She had a way of saying things exactly as she saw them, and didn't mince words. She was caring and compassionate. She fed the homeless nearly every day and often helped out other coworkers that needed a ride or a few bucks. She was the funniest person I ever met. She and I would often sing the Bad Boys song when the police would come in to deal with a shoplifter and the officers would just look and laugh because our singing was so bad. But it was fun just the same. Sue was my one and only true true friend here in Las Vegas where I live. When I was in the hospital recently, she called me every day. She looked after my needs, bringing me things to wash my glasses and sometimes a diet tea or an extra magazine she got. She made working fun every moment she was there. I will miss her for the rest of my life. Death of someone close has got to be the toughest pill that anyone has ever had to swallow. Even though I completely believe that she is in a better place, it still doesn't make things easy. Rest in Peace dear friend........