After I left ABQ, I flew home to see my family and hang out there for a month.  Home is always a safe haven during times of transition and my children are so good for me as well as to me…always, but especially when they sense that Mom is going through ‘something’.  I spent quality time with each of them and all of them!  Matthew, Rachel, Nicole AND Megan retrieved me from the airport…so much fun!  THEN, they took me out to dinner at Pappas…because, of course, the only way to begin a visit to Maryland is……..having a back fin lump crab cake….OH, YEAH!!!!  Mid-visit, my kids and their significant others, my grandson and his step brother, my sister and her wife had a fun fabulous potluck dinner at Matthew and Adam’s!  As usual, we could have made a mint if we had charged admission to the public…LOL  We are a very “entertaining” family!!!
    The following weeks proved to be immensely silly, delightfully inspiring, and filled with love and support.  Once again, I only saw a few folks this time around.  It was month of taking care of me.  For those who shared time with me, thank you.  Your kindness, laughter and honesty was not only needed, but thoroughly appreciated.  Some of the joy is depicted by the photos below.

Daughter, Nicole and family

Son, Matthew’s culinary skills!

Paint Night at Squire’s Italian Restaurant

Crab cakes after these sillies got me from the airport

My first canvas painting

Silly Jay during breakfast at Double T

Silly Cameron…same breakfast

OMG…Rachel and I ate  the WHOLE PIE…LOL

First Fridays in Havre de Grace with Rachel

LOKI being adorable

Dear friends…Donna and Krista It’s been over 10 years! Toooooo long!

My sweet friend, Sherri performing in Ellicott City… magnificent

Aaawww!  Leon had surgery and just couldn’t keep his little mouth  off his boo-boo

Potluck at Matthew and Adam’s Megan had gone home to check on Leon Hmmmm…wonder whose rabbit ears they are…..Tanya!!!!!

Canon is ready for winter…lol

Nicole and I always seem to get into fabulous “trouble” during our  bonding rituals….lol We did behave ourselves the day she treated me to a massage, so we were due!!! Cotton candy, anyone…lol

The rest of the amazing snack prepared by Matthew after a day long “tech” and giggle session

The three sillies on the hayride to the pumpkin patch and apple trees at Lohr’s Orchards

Is THAT pumpkin okay?!  LOL I love it!

‘Greenie’ looks like an apple or a pepper!

Hahahahahahaha!

One lone apple still on the tree!

Almost all the apples had fallen- we kinda missed prime apple picking season…we now have apple ‘lifting’!

I’m almost a big girl now…lol

Community bonfire and potluck at Rachel and Megan’s

My little Luv Bug sporting her new beach bag made with love by her mama!!!

BRIGHT SPOT – George…Part 2 – When George was 8, his oldest brother Bob was 16.   Bob and his friends were discussing raising money for the Jewish Youth Federation.  They needed a speaker to advocate for the cause.  George volunteered.  You can imagine the teenagers’ responses.  Bob; however, spoke up with a challenge for George.  He assigned him the task of writing a mock speech that would exemplify the message George would relay to potential contributors.  Lo and behold, George came up with a winner and the entire group, shocked, but impressed, allowed him to partake in the endeavor to raise funds.  (George told me at this point in our conversation that he ended up pursuing a public speaking career…unfortunately, we never got to that point).
     Between the years 1943-1945, George attended High school/junior college.  The attendance was minimal as many young men had been drafted.  One of George’s passions at the time was debating, so he joined the debate team.  After graduation, George’s Mom’s and Bob’s influence over his Dad won him the opportunity to attend college.  His father agreed mostly because The University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League school, was known for its quality insurance program (Dad’s passion).
Almost immediately upon arriving at  the U of PA, George heard their debate team had no coach AND was performing terribly in competitions.  You guessed it – he signed up at age 16!  The team consisted of males only and they wanted it keep it that way for fear it would become a social event!  Nice! That’s 1943 for ya!  George learned all that was possible about argumentation.  He sent for materials used by other Debate Team Coaches in other colleges.   Finally, being quite influenced by Aristotle, George devised a plan for coaching his team which included 3 main components:
1- How to think
2- How to listen
3- How to persuade
    It wasn’t long before the debate team at Univ. of  PA started to WIN!  The school was able in increase its budget for the team and they enjoyed an impressive winning streak under his guidance.
    At age 18, George became the Director of Forensics with no pay.  He developed a course for advanced debating.  He suggested that women be allowed to join the team.  The idea was met with considerable resistance.  George recommended a challenge.  The idea was for there to be a debate: women vs men.  George invited the men to choose 3 topics to be debated on 3 different occasions. The WOMEN won all 3 competitions!  The bi-laws were changed!  What the men on the team did NOT know was that George was secretly coaching the women for the parley!  You gotta love it!
     Also, George arranged his schedule so that on Wednesdays he was free to attend sessions at the United Nations.  He was actually present at Eleanor Roosevelt’s committee meetings that drafted the Covenant on Human Rights (the successor to the Declaration of Human Rights).  It was very controversial and there was often a deadlock between the factions of the committee.   George could see that in most cases it was a linguistic issue.  One time he approached the US delegate while in the men’s room with his observation and suggestion for a solution to the problem at hand.  He proposed that there might be English wording that might “work” for all sides involved.   His proposal was accepted and as a result, George became an author of portions of international law.  Unfortunately, the USA never ratified the treaty.
    The 3rd and final account of what I have on George’s awe-inspiring bio will be posted next time.