About Saturday, the "Living Prayer" Garden and the Boston Marathon

I didn't think the work week would ever end. Once again I spent more time solving problems and fighting fires than I did doing my own work, and as a result, I "look forward" to giving my Sunday to the office. I really don't mind (too much), and I have to pay a bit of a price since I plan to get on a plane in 10 days and disappear for a while!

(Go, there's more...)

I got an e-mail from my friend Joe last night. He and I are high school friends from another lifetime. He and his family live in Western Massachusetts, so we haven't see each other in too long time but we stay in touch.

Last night he sent me a couple of photos of a garden his wife Kathy is creating. I hope you'll recognize that she has developed a pattern in the shape of a ribbon, and she's planting white, pink, and blue flowers in the different sections. Here is Joe's message:

This is a preview of what's to come. Kathy is growing a "Living Prayer" here. The flowers are:
Carpet of Snow (white) Alyssum for the white ribbon
Rosie O'Day and Royal Carpet (pastel and deep pink) Alyssum for the pink ribbon
Blue Lobelia for the background


She's going to put a lot of names in this. Our sister in-law Karla and yours are the first ones to go in. Both of ya's have been through the same ordeal. Now all we have to do is keep the dogs and cats out of it along with the neighbor's kids!

I can't wait to watch Kathy's garden grow in. I asked Joe to send me photos as it grows in, and I'll share them here for you to see.

Along with this wonderful gift came another this week. Last Monday was the 112th running of the Boston Marathon, an event that has become a huge fund raiser for cancer, lymphoma, and leukemia research, and many, many more.

Last weekend, PJ heard from her friend Tim Smith, who was running Boston (for I believe his third time), and he dedicated one of his miles (#14) in my honor.

I was beyond words at this kindness. To find myself enveloped in that love along with people such as Jane Nitchie, Barbara and Harry Cook, and all the others, made me cry. I hope you'll go to Tim's blog at www.bostonbound.org/smith/ and read about his special journey.

And with that, I'm off to tackle Saturday. I need to get an international driver's license today so I can legally be a menace on the highways and byways in Switzerland. It's not a bad thing to have even if I don't drive. I realized a couple of days ago that my Massachusetts license and passport bear "old" photos of me with my former head of hair. I don't look like that any more!

Cheers!