And because tomorrow is the Rose Bowl…

I love my ducks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UQAr0x32tA

Ascent to Paradise

Something to consider, especially at the dawn of a new day, a new month, a new year, a new decade.

http://www.squarecircles.com/ascenttoparadise/ascent.htm

Love Knows No Bounds

This makes me cry every time. I’m sure the music has something to do with it, but then again, maybe not.

http://www.youtube.com/v/rqhJuwUukX8&hl

Chris Bliss

This will be on every end of year video list of mine forever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8f8drk5Urw

What’s better than a Louis Armstrong song?

Maybe the stars of this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BuPP_eXINw

It’s that time of year again…

The dishes are done, the leftovers are yet to be consumed…

Let’s just review the year’s best You Tube videos, beginning with this one…

Merry Christmas!

Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUZsYRjg378

Those Waves of Grief

It’s been two years since my mother passed away, and every now and then I am blindsided by onrushing waves of grief that are so intense and severe that they verge on disabling. They don’t last very long, because I refuse to dwell in the guilt that always accompanies grief, but when they happen, they always surprise me.

My mother and I were good when she died. We had a stormy relationship from the very beginning, but by the time she breathed her last, we were good.

Last week I realized that the waves of grief stem from personal reflection and memories of things I wish I could apologize for. I’d like to just call her up and say, “Mom, I’m so sorry I was such a little shit.” But I can’t. She’s gone. And I have to live with the fact that there are years of amends I can no longer make to her. She never demanded or even asked for any kind of apology. She loved me with a parent’s unconditional love and affection, rewriting history in her mind as she grew older until we were all perfect children in her memory.

I have only to trust that I’ll see her again, and if those things are still important in that place where we’ll meet, I’ll have the opportunity to make it all good then.

In the meantime, these waves of grief and guilt are testimony not only to my enduring love for her, but my personal spiritual growth that allows me to reflect and realize these things. Wherever she is, I know she understands.