Trifecta

     It's a trifecta this morning of the Flying V ... They're so close we could play 4 square together.  (I use that reference not knowing if this recess game is universally played now or even played at all anymore.  When I was little in Ohio, it was all the rage on the playground.)

Un ...

Deux ...

Trois ... (The snowman concurs.)

Have a good day out there people!

Long johns

     I dress warmly for the walk to the train, train to work, lunchtime foray and then homeward bound.  This time of year, that means long johns.  Unfortunately, taking that preparation overheats me on the train home.  I'm sitting here now wishing to strip them off.  But that then defeats the purpose of being warm on the walk home.  So instead, I'm stewing in my own drippings surrounded by humanity.  And we are packed in:

(Standing shot). 

First Snow

     It's very solemn this morning on the train.  As though the dusting of snow we got last night has made people realize that winter is finally here.  Even the trains are running slowly in solidarity.  Or perhaps the students are in their finals push, getting ready to depart for Christmas break ... Maybe that's why it's so quiet.

     Maybe this afternoon will bring more excitement.

                    ....................

Update ... Miracle achieved!

     So, if you've been keeping up as the story has unfolded, then you will know by now that the amazing, wonderful, fabulous has happened.  My dear friend Amy has reached her goal, in a little less than two days.  Thanks to the generosity of spirit and wallet ... friends, family and strangers made a miracle happen.  

     

     You did it. 

     You really did it.

     Thank you, thank you, thank you.

     I am new to this Facebook world, this blogging world.  I did not know that so much joy and happiness could be achieved so quickly.  If I had been in her shoes, I wouldn't have known this was even possible.  I wouldn't have had the strength to ask for the help.

     Thank you.  Amy says it brilliantly here in her most recent update:

http://www.gofundme.com/5lvaf4

House

     As mature adults (theoretically), we're not supposed to say "life isn't fair."  If the words slip out, some hardened cynic nearby will pop up out of the bushes and Burgess Meredith style say, "of course not, kiddo .. Life sucks then you die."

     But life is neither fair or unfair.  This path we're all on twists and turns and leads and pushes us in directions that we never imagined when we were little.  Very few if us are exactly where we wanted or thought we'd be, but you try to find happiness, or at least some measure of comfort, and keep walking the path.

     This morning, a dear friend from a million years ago, made a painful announcement that she may lose her house without a miracle.  Her path has been twisting, job losses and a parental death, and although she's been attending to the payments, a tree root on the path has caused her to trip.  And now she stands to lose everything.

     Many, if not most of us, are in situations that could become eerily similar, if placed under the same circumstances.  We may want to believe that we're beyond living paycheck to paycheck, but do we have a sizeable savings set aside?  6-12 months of utility payments? Groceries? mortgage payments?  I know I'm not there.  This frightens me, and quite honestly, made me stay at a job that was physically taking a toll on me ... This fear of losing what we'd worked so hard to give the children one day.  

     So, I'm sitting on the train this morning and thinking about my dear friend ... A woman who has given selflessly over the years to friends, family, her special needs students, and I am praying for her miracle.

Two websites to consider (the first is my friend, the second is financial advice):

http://www.gofundme.com/5lvaf4?forcedesktop=1

www.bettermoneyhabits.com

At the Door

     Every Monday through Friday, in the morning, she sits at the windows at my home base subway station selling the Boston Herald.  She's been doing this for many, many years.  And every morning we smile at each other and wish a happy weekend or a good day to each other.  I don't interrupt when others are purchasing or talking to her, just a head nod or a little wave.  We don't know each other's name, but we can be pleasant and offer comfort just the same.

     I don't say dickish things like, "try to stay warm" or "boy, it's raining today."  She's many decades older than me, making her living in front of those windows.  The elements coming in constantly.  I worry, as she could be my mother's age ... And when I go down that road, I spiral far too quickly out if my mind.  She calls me "my friend," and I cherish that.

Sunday Finest

     I hope your holiday weekend has been restful.  I took a little train trip out to explore/time the journey to my next branch.  I was rewarded with this:

Yes, his pants have Lucky the leprechaun from the Lucky Charms cereal and the phrase "magically delicious" all over them.  Magical, indeed.