Tea Cups
Our sweet, adorable “Uncle†George passed away at the age of 95.
He was the consummate gentleman.
Always held the door open, always in a suit, tie and outdoor hat to go to dinner – no complaints or excuses even as he wearied in his 90s.
He was a devout religious man, a boy scout, an engineer, a loving husband, an incredible man.
My husband’s father and my father had both passed away and George became the
Patriarch of our family.
His beloved wife, Mildred, had passed away about 16 years ago and we met George the following year ~ he lived next door to my sister on the beach – this is her lovely house at sunset – simply glorious.
Mildred and George had no children; we “adopted†George into our family and for 15 years we shared every holiday, every birthday and every regular day in between as family.
He even had a cell phone on our family plan.
For George’s 90th birthday, we had more than 80 people at our home to celebrate. We set up huge foam poster boards with photos from his youth – he kept those boards all around his home for years.
Whenever we visited George at his home, he would make tea. It was our very own special tradition – he always had delicious goodies and a fine story to tell.
But the time came when George wasn’t feeling well. He asked us what we would like from him to remember him by.
He knew very clearly we never wanted anything but his love, strength, model of life for our children and model of love and communication for our marriage. But he asked more persistently as he was dissolving his material things so I said we would be honored to have his tea cups.
We would enjoy them throughout our lifetime and think of him.
Little Petal’s Fairy Princess Tea Party for her 4th birthday was inspired by George ~ for he gave us these gorgeous porcelain tea cups that he and Mildred had collected from all around the world.
We honored his gracious gift by telling that story to everyone at the tea party
and we all clapped in his honor.
Below is Little Petal turning 4 and her adorable friend – all the little princess were
so naturally gentle with the porcelain. So sweet and beautiful to see.
We miss our Uncle George very much but we know he longed to be with his dear wife so much.
Phillip and our son were pallbearers, carrying George to his final destination beside his beloved. Both said doing so was very healing for them.
George had brought flowers to Mildred’s resting site every single Saturday for 16 years. He is a model for all of us.
The Bright Spot 
– If we all bring one lonely person into our lives, we can change this world one snuggle at a time.
Please go to the Radio Show flower in the navigation bar above and listen to the show we broadcasted Live on November 4, 2010 – it’s now archived on this site ~ we talked about this wonderful way to integrate our Senior Citizens into our families, our lives (and the conversation after the elderly and children about World Vision reduced me to tears.)
Our Senior Citizens are the walking treasures of history, story-telling and love from a time gone by. Grab hold before their story is gone. Everyone in the family benefits and your experience will last for a lifetime!
The Diamond Celebration
My Grandparents were married 61 years. It was a beautiful model of love and kindness that I model my marriage after.
My Grandmother says their recipe to a long and happy marriage was communication and holding hands, walking arm in arm through a lifetime.
  
My Grandfather told me years ago what the key to a beautiful marriage is, “Don’t marry someone you can live with. Marry someone you can’t live without.†(Below: My Grandparents with my Mom)
A few years after my Grandparents’ Golden Anniversary, my Grandfather said, “I am looking forward to our 60th wedding anniversary – our Diamond Anniversary.† (Below: my Grandfather & I dancing the night I was crowned Miss Connecticut)
He worked hard until he was about 85 and then Lyme Disease and cancer hit him aggressively.
But he affirmed, “I will be with My Love for the Diamond celebration!â€
And he was, thank God!
We all flew to Europe for the big event. The province they lived in together for over 6 decades presented them with a beautiful certificate and a large bronze medallion along with a mention in the newspapers and on the television.
A year later, he passed away.
That’s the marriage I strive for – I found the right man for me. It took a long time and a lot of crazy boyfriends – not all – but enough to make me realize that when I found him, I knew what my Grandfather was talking about – Phillip’s not just someone I can live with, he’s someone I can’t live without.
My Bright Spot  – my husband, my lover…
