The Important Things

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One of the joys of having a child with Down syndrome is that they are constantly reminding you of the truly important things in life, simply by living a life full of joy and happiness.  They live each day to the fullest, and they live each day full of love.

For Rebecca’s birthday a few years ago, we took her to see the new Pixar movie “Brave”.  Rachel was in town on a business trip, so she met us at the theater.  It was a real treat for Rebecca to have her big sister there – it meant an extra lap that she could sit in if things got too scary.

The movie was REALLY good – if you haven’t already seen it, I highly recommend it.  I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen it; suffice it to say that it is a wonderful movie about the bonds within a family and the power of love.
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Posted in Down syndrome, Family, Inspirational, Just Because, Think about it | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Happy Birthday to “The Other Woman”

Today is “Lola”‘s 8th birthday, so I thought I would re-run this post from 2012:

Her Name Is “Lola”…..

….and whatever Lola wants, Lola is gonna get.
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Posted in Annual Posts, Contemporary, Family, Humor, Just Because, Music, Sunday Funnies | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Lovely 10%: The happiest members of a movement you won’t hear about on the news

One of the lucky ones…. (Click on picture for more information)

(October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month; this post – originally posted in 2011 –  highlights just one more thing that many people don’t know about the DS population)

As many of you know, our youngest daughter, Rebecca, was born with Down syndrome.  When we found out that we were (surprise!) expecting a fourth child, we made a conscious  decision NOT to have certain prenatal tests done.  I will freely admit that I am not nearly as noble as I would like to think that I am; I didn’t want to even entertain the idea of someone asking me if I wanted to make a “choice”.

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Posted in Annual Posts, Down syndrome, Family, Occupy Wall Street, Think about it, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

“October” by Eric Whitacre

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“Fall” in Texas doesn’t really start until mid-October most years.  Today, we’ve got a blustery wind blowing in, and the leaves are starting to swirl around.  The temperatures are getting nippy (for Texas), and the dogs want to be outside longer as the days get shorter.

I love this time of year.  Apparently musicians both classical and contemporary do, too – here is the hauntingly beautiful “October“, composed by Eric Whitacre.  Originally written for a wind orchestra, it translates beautifully to a string arrangement:

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“October” (wind orchestral arrangement) is only available in the MP3 format.
(Mr. Whitacre has an amazing body of work)
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Posted in Annual Posts, Classical, Just Because, Music, Texas | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

A Somber Remembrance – Thoughts on the Anniversary of 9/11

I suppose every generation has its share of “Where were you when….?” moments – those “somethings” that happen that are so big, so life-altering, and which affect so many people that the vast majority of them have a memory etched into their mind of where they were when they heard the news, how they felt when they heard the news, and how it changed their life forever.

I can still remember that morning – it started off like any other morning. Rachel had gotten up early and was already dressed and on her way to high school with her friends, Michelle and Sarah were getting ready for school, and Paul was getting ready for work. I was resting in bed, waiting for Rebecca – who had turned 2 months old the day before – to wake up for her morning bottle.

Paul came into the bedroom and said he had just heard on the radio that a plane had hit the World Trade Center and it was on fire.

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Posted in Annual Posts, I Love America, Think about it | Tagged , | 1 Comment

For Bev – “Again Someday”

(l to r) Bev and Me, 1964

(l to r) Me and Bev, 2004

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Today would have been my little sister’s 58th birthday.
Miss you like heck, Sis….
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(“Again Someday” by Blackmore’s Night – available on CD or MP3)

Posted in Annual Posts, Contemporary, Family, Feelin' Sorry for Myself, Growing Old Sucks, Music, Special Occasions | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Three Years Later

 

We miss her so much.

 

Michelle Elise Koch – 1991-2017

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Posted in Family, Feelin' Sorry for Myself, Michelle | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

“Over The Rainbow” (Eva Cassidy)

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This is one of my favorite arrangements of this beloved song –

It’s just a beautiful, soothing song, don’t you think?:
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(“Over The Rainbow” by the incomparable Eva Cassidy – available on CD or MP3)
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Posted in Annual Posts, Contemporary, I Love America, Inspirational, Just Because, Michelle, Music, Tuesday Tunes | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Derby Day – “Run For The Roses”

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It’s Derby Day!
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Posted in Annual Posts, Broadway/TV/Film, Contemporary, Humor, Inspirational, Just Because, Music | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Hallelujah” – k.d. lang

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There are so many wonderful versions of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” out there – originally covered by John Cale, the version performed by the late Jeff Buckley is perhaps the most well-known of them all (the song has also been covered by Bon Jovi).

I think the first time that I heard this song was on the movie “Shrek” (sung by Rufus Wainwright). There is an amazing 4-part arrangement out there by the Norwegian quartet Lind, Nilsen, Fuentes, and Holm.  Heck, it even sounds good in Italian when performed by Il Divo.

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Posted in Annual Posts, Contemporary, Inspirational, Just Because, Michelle, Music, Tuesday Tunes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments