Believe in Happiness

The Colorado Zephyr

Last night on our drive home from Denver we past the California Zephyr Train just past Glenwood Springs. It was a special moment. Driving 80 miles an hour slowly overtaking the classic silver locomotive. It was dark but the windows of the train were all lit up. It was surreal ridding alongside the Silver Bullet. My daughters shared a story about their train ride from New York to Boston. Talked about napping on the train as they traveled through the rain and snow. Said it was the best possible way to travel. It was a fitting ending to our weekend adventure visiting family and friends in Denver.. It's memories like theses that make all the struggle traveling moore worth it.  

What Mom Said

Seeing Mom was great. She struggles with severe short-term memory loss and gets really confused, but she knows who she is and recognizes me. The idea of not being able to make new memories terrifies me, But this is a happy post so I will not dwell in the negative. My mom is happy. She had spent her entire life being happy happy. It’s something she would always say. Even named the boat Happy Happy, I sorta liked it, J hated it.

Anyway she’s happy.

I saw her Tuesday and Wednesday and it is now Saturday. I spent a lot of time in the solitude of traveling alone. Thought a lot about what she said. Thought a lot about everything. I been working on becoming more mindful. Being present. Being engaged. And I realized my mom had been focused and engaged. She listened to everything I’d said and wouldn’t remember any of it. Tomorrow she will not remember I was there. When we are talking about something she remembers she is completely engaged. When talking about tomorrow she concentrates and starts getting confused. So I let her drive the conversation and it went well. She talked about her and Dad watching all my sports games. She told me how proud my father was about what a special athlete and student I was. And how he so loved our wedding and he told her it was like being in Heaven. Or what he hoped Heaven would be like. It was great to hear. 

She said how much love and happiness I had brought into the family. She said she would not have known what to do whiteout me showing her how to move on with life after Karen died. I said no Mom it was you and Dad who helped us live on. The agenda was life and you and Dad lived it. And what a good life it is. She said you sound like your father. I told her people think I look like him. She said he had more hair.

She is in the moment and that is enough. 

Happy Dance

Blessed to have visited Mom twice this past week.

The first visit was just before lunch and the second a day later in the evening. During the second visit she started getting agitated because she could not remember anything from my previous visit. I told her to relax and not worry about it. I asked her to talk about something she did remember and she said, "I remember you were one of the most daring athletes in the world!" I said you must be remembering Dad? And she said, "No, he's the one who said it about you. After one of your games he said to me you are the most daring athletes he has ever seen on the football field." Wow. What else did he say about me? "He said he was afraid for you, not that you would get hurt, but that you would kill someone and he knew that would haunt you. He said you were fierce. He said you played best when someone made you angry. He would say Honey watch now because your son is about to unleash some rage. Whenever he would say this you would always do something spectacular."

I am grateful to be here

Been thinking of another chapter in my newest book inspired by you. Champion. It's based the idea that gratitude can change your attitude. I've already covered winning is good (playing the game).Team building with heart and Soul. There is an I in win and there is a me in team.

The new chapter, being grateful, is to be full of great. 

Memes

Been making some memes recently and posting them on Instagram and Facebook. Chloe says they are technically not memes so I’m not really sure what one is, but mine are inspirational AK quotes over my landscape photography. Most of my quotes are paraphrases of things you used to always say to me while growing up.
Looks like my phone cannot download pictures to blogger anymore so I will return soon to post some examples. Eventually I plan to publish them in a book. Not that any of my books are selling, but next to marrying Suzy and having your granddaughters writing your book was the best thing I ever did.
I now realize I am a pretty crappie writer, but when has that ever stopped me from doing something I enjoy. My current plans are to write and publish the sequel to Vivis, 20 Saturday’s, the Memes book and and inspirational book called Champion. Kind of a how to book to pair with your book to launch my motivational speaker career.
Wish me luck on the new books. I’m going to need it with everything else going on in my life right now.
Love,
AK

My dad’s ring

I have been wearing my Dad’s ring all weekend. When I wear it I remember to be grateful for having had a dad who has left such an impression on me. I had a really cool dad.

Dear God

Thank You. I Love You. I am begining to know You. You have never left me. You will never leave me. You will always welcome me home. You have forgiven me. Protect me. Inspire me. Love me. You know me. I am a miricle. We are all miricles. I am so grateful for my family. Help  me love them as You Love us. Give me strength, wisdom and courage to seek Thy Will. Help me see Thy signs. Help me hear Thy Voice. Help me listen. Help me live a wonderful life. I praise Thee. Worship Thee. Believe in Thee. There is none other god but Thee. The help in peril. The Reason. Soften my heart. Sharpen my mind. Help me be present. Help me be mindful. Help me be useful. I pray to Thee in the name Emmanuel. Amen.

Silverton, CO and Red Mountain Pass