the Promise of Your Vision

C - Rakesh flies over White Sands -signedI feel now is the time for a short but sweet ode to my delightful, precious & compassionate first-born grandSonso like your father, my 1st born son; beautiful, intelligent & honorable.

And it goes without saying -but I will- very much your own person, that which I’ve watched you grow into and I’m excited to see who you shall ultimately become.

Your journey ahead is sensational!  Full of contrast and rewards, heart-pounding moments, decisions and well, more decisions.  But oh what fun you will have 😆 💗 and remember to believe that something wonderful is always about to happen.  So, will you be present for that?

Like thousands upon thousands globally, you and your graduating class became a part of history before even really stepping foot outside your door!  You pulled a first-ever, virtual, high school graduation this year.

From here on out, 2020 will be remembered as the year the planet stood still, from sea to shinning sea, desert into valley, mountain range to mountain range 🧭 N E W S.   You of course get the idea!

Now go out there (safely & cautiously, virally speaking) and don’t try to tame or change the world around you.  Ponder this for a few; let the full of wonder life, bring itself to you -because it will- and then dive in heart first.  Now you can invite your mind along for the ride!

I am there for yOu, always.  Your loving family is here for you always in all ways ♥️

 


(liken to a Greek ōidē)

71. It Didn’t Take Long to Fill the Second Order

Our son Amar Saint Stephen was such a cute little kid, perfect skin tone and lots of hair.  Did I already say that?  Oh no that was actually about myself, many posts back!  But yes, Amar did have lots of hair and he had a sparkle in his eyes.  

In gazing into those eyes, my, my it looked as though they may turn green or blue, I thought.  Diana’s eyes held blue with the occasional green sparkle.  And perhaps I was searching a little to see well, what I would see.  I felt I should do all I could so that his spirit would know how welcomed he was in my heart, in my life.

C - Will U Check or Mate?

It might sound like silly wishful thinking but I felt like I got my son back.  It was my turn to make a move on the chessboard of life.  I felt as though he waited till I was better situated before he would return to me.

My employer always had a taxi pick me up, taking me to work and at shift end, another would bring me home.  Maybe once or twice in a work week I was fortunate enough with a shorter shift allowing me to come home in the afternoons.

I might be able to play with and take a nap beside my son.  Mainly though it was the evenings when I came in through the door at the end of my work day.  Amar was almost always already asleep.

And more often than not, I’d already had my dinner at work.  I toiled many hours but it was worth it money-wise, experience in the culinary aspect of things -not that I was training to be a great chef or anything- and of course to maintain the great health insurance.

When Amar cried in the middle of the night, Diana would get up with him.  Naturally she breastfed and was not minding this at all.  I’m so glad she very willingly agreed saying she wouldn’t have it any other way.  She taught me very early that it was smart to take a nap when the baby did.

We were becoming parents in a time where feeding babies with bottles was taken to like wildfire and in truth, it had been popular for quite some time by now.  

Credit where it is due; yes it’s convenient so that others can participate if need be and/or if the mother is simply unable to.  But for our family, I am pleased we chose and were able to feed the baby the natural way.

Amar was growing stronger and more lovely with each passing day.  There was little doubt as to the parents well-being either.  No time wasted, not with these wild parents, ha ha!  I told Diana, “I am putting in an order for a daughter!”

We both agreed a girl would balance our family.  And it didn’t take long for that order to be filled.  Diana being most fertile, she became pregnant while Amar was only near three months of age.

We had to make a residential adjustment during this time and ended up in an apartment building at 612 Pico Boulevard, directly across the street from Santa Monica High School.  This would be where Amar had his 1st Christmas and five months later, our 2nd child would join the family.

It was 17 days before Amar’s 1st birthday when our second child arrived.  It is now the spring of 1962.  She landed at six twelve in the evening to be exact and it was the Saturday before Mother’s Day.  Is it no surprise then that the moon was aligned with the birth of my daughter; 62% of the moon was illuminated -the temps were in the low 60’s.  

We welcomed into this world a little girl, just as we had ordered.

I remember telling Diana that I wouldn’t have to bring her a Mother’s Day gift because she just received a little package wrapped in pink.  We were both overjoyed, as was the rest of the family.

Asha Saint Monica was beautiful of course, she’s my daughter!  She had big brown eyes, good skin tone, a French looking face (her mother said) and lots of hair, just like her brother.  Diana assured me this labor was by far the easier one.  We were both glad of that.

During this time, Amar was being pampered in his grandparents’ home while Diana was in the hospital with our daughter and I went to work.

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65. A Haunting Melody & Roller Skates

I asked Diana if she’d like to double date with my friend Dave, whom she was now familiar with through her questioning but hadn’t yet met, and his girlfriend.  

Diana was more than willing and somehow I just knew she’d be game.  Dave told me about a fairly new movie, Summer Place which he’d been wanting to go see.  He thought this was a perfect date movie and the four of us should go together.

Saturday evening came and Dave picked up Diana and myself in mom’s lite blue Ford Fairlane 500 at the now regular meeting spot (Chevron) and off we went to catch the movie.  

At the box office Dave insisted on buying our tickets.  I protested but he told me straight, “No.  I invited the two of you to join us.”  And once inside he also wanted to buy sodas and popcorn for the four of us.  

Anyone of you reading this now, who has seen Summer Place with Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue knows this is quite a romantic movie (at least back in the simple day).  I tell you I was not expecting the 🎶 music to strike me just as it did.

A melodic musical piece, the theme song 🎵 from this movie became our own personal theme.  ♥️ It acted as glue binding us together; it was haunting and magical.  Of course I had absolutely no idea that was coming. 🌹

To say the least we all enjoyed the movie very much.  By the time it let out we were very hungry.   Dave took us to this drive-up restaurant and I‘m pretty sure it was the Tiny Naylors on Sunset Boulevard.  What a treat this was for me, why I’d never seen anything like this before.

The waitresses were uniformed real cute, taking our order and serving us right at our car, all while on roller skates.  I have to admit I was impressed.  That whole experience was lots of fun for all of us.  Oh to be young and having a carefree time of it!

Once again Dave opened his wallet but I had to stop him.  I could see it in his eyes when he smiled that he respected my gesture and so he backed down.  I covered Diana’s and my portion of the bill and of course that pleased me.

We drove around a bit afterwards but all that sitting was causing a lazy feeling.  Dave dropped us both off at Diana’s apartment.  She invited me to stay with her and I end up spending the night.  

Both of us clearly, equally hungry for the human touch, affection and possibly even love. ♥️ Summer Place was the beginning of Diana’s and my relationship.

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melodic musical pieceto this very day, that piece of music makes LBM’s eyes water, he gets all choked up and he’s gone …back to those days.  

I just brought the theme from Summer Place up on my computer for him to listen to as I finished up this post.  He tries to say something not realizing that his voice would come out cracked.

Music is definitely magical, this I know for a fact.

He tells me,Right up to this very moment, wherever I am or have been, a shop, restaurant, hotel, walking down the street passing by a record shop, whatever, wherever I overhear this piece and I’m instantly transported to that very same Saturday.  It never changes.  It keeps happening, never failing.  

“It’s as though I can touch it but only with my heart.  I go to the very place in time and we are all 4 together, I relive it happily.  Then I see I am with Diana right through the night, moment for moment and into the next morning (which came too soon).”  He then finished with,…it is like a gift.  You know, the one that keeps on giving.”