Keep Your Friends Close, Your Family Closer

Posted by missjunebug on February 24, 2010

missjunebug is facing some pretty serious challenges lately that she will not bore you with in this little blog. She’s doing her best to deal with them one at a time even though sometimes it feels like they are coming at her like a tsunami–the big quake, then the deluge. Where’s her life preserver????

The answer to that non-rhetorical question is this: Family and Friends.

During this daunting period in missjunebug’s life she has had the most amazing support of family and friends. Where does she start? The sympathy cards. The get well cards. The beautiful flowers. The handmade bath soaps. The delicious soups: chicken veggie, lentil, and pisole. Yum. The Costco drink run. The good wishes candles: one for each month of the year, each with a little treasure inside! The drives to the doctor when missjunebug wasn’t fit to operate machinery. The dark chocolate hearts…so sweet! The bags of Munchos! Love ‘em. What else? Emails of concern, calls of loving inquiry, conversations of concern, prayers of healing and protection.

missjunebug knows her family and friends will recognize themselves in her little summary of support. She wants to express her deepest appreciation for all the ways, large and small, they have buoyed her up in troubled waters.

Thanks and thanks again. Love, missjunebug

Perfection Wasted

Posted by missjunebug on February 22, 2010

Blessing to you, JBDad, from your missjunebug. Photo by mjb2010

missjunebug is borrowing a title from a really fine poem by John Updike for her little blog today. The perfection she refers to is her very own JBDad who recently passed away.

missjunebug has written previously about the angst she and brother experienced when searching for a care home for their Alzheimer’s-afflicted dad. After the initial move, things went pretty well for a while but the inevitable and tragic eventually happened in a series of falls that revealed their dad required more care than the facility they had chosen provided. So much for quality of life issues in the golden years.

Skilled nursing became the order of the day and with the hard work of her JBBro, the JBDad received the round the clock attention he needed and deserved at an excellent care facility that met all the needs of their dear dad. Still that did not ameliorate the devastating news the doctor revealed: final stage Alzheimers was the unexpected verdict.

Is it an axiom of life that we think there is always more time than there actually is? Maybe.

The downhill to death was speedy and unexpected. missjunebug did not even make it back in time to say her goodbyes, but her dear, dear JBBro stood vigil until the last breath of their dear JBDad.

88 years. One fabulous marriage. Two pretty decent kids. Four awesome grandkids. Two spectacular great grandkids. His own successful business. A quirky and close extended family. A strong bond to his Czech heritage. Extraordinary backyard barbeque skills. Debonair Dancer. Good Friend. Fine Fisherman. Lapsed Catholic. Cussing Master. Loner. Laugher. Lover of Life.

Now reunited with his lovely JBMarie, dancing to the sweet strains of Sentimental Journey.

missjunebug will never stop missing you, dear JBDad.

Stacked Against the IRS

Posted by missjunebug on February 18, 2010

So missjunebug is tuning in to one of her fav shows, Chris Matthew’s Hardball to get the political smacktalk for the day when what does she see? Breaking News! Some wingnut in Austin flew his little single-engine airplane into the IRS building located there inflicting maximum damage on the building. This heinous act was performed after said wingnut burned down his own house.

What’s going on? missjunebug is no great fan of the IRS but puhleeze! This “deliberate attack against a federal building” is every shade of wrong.

missjunebug’s heart goes out to all those traumatized IRS and government workers in the fiery building at the time. She also takes pause to consider the extreme mental anguish Mr. Joe Stack must have been experiencing to drive him to this extreme act of violence but that can in no way excuse it.

Thank goodness the Austin Police Department and Austin Fire Department did such a great job mobilizing against this tragic act. Perhaps in the days to come people smarter than missjunebug will be able to make sense of this tragedy after closely examining the rants of Mr. Joe Stack posted on his website. But missjunebug doubts it. How does one make sense of the insensible?

With all due respect to the tormented Mr. Stack, missjunebug’s definition of insanity? Burning down your own house, ranting on the web against the democratic government bound to protect you, then flying a plane into an IRS building to stop the “insanity.”

May God help us all if Mr. Stack represents more than his singular, demented self.