Forever In Our Hearts....

~ Jason Garrick Dial, Jr. ~

J.J.

October 29, 2009 - October 29, 2009

The Cord

We are connected,
My child and I, by
An invisible cord
Not seen by the eye.

It's not like the cord
That connects us 'til birth
This cord can't been seen
By any on Earth.

This cord does it's work
Right from the start.
It binds us together
Attached to my heart.

I know that it's there
Though no one can see
The invisible cord
From my child to me.

The strength of this cord
Is hard to describe.
It can't be destroyed
It can't be denied.

It's stronger than any cord
Man could create
It withstands the test
Can hold any weight.

And though you are gone,
Though you're not here with me,
The cord is still there
But no one can see.

It pulls at my heart
I am bruised...I am sore,
But this cord is my lifeline
As never before.

I am thankful that God
Connects us this way
A mother and child
Death can't take it away!

~A.U.~

We know that little Jason is in the arms of Jesus. This provides great comfort. Please remember, death does not end your relationship with your little baby here on earth. Love goes on and on even though we are earthbound.

Aunt Lana

Dawna....

Dawna is my best friend. We met when we were in the 5th grade. We never went to grade school together, but we did go to High School together. Dawna was beautiful. She was everything I wasn't. She had beautiful, curly blonde hair, long straight legs, and she was thin. We did everything together. We were inseparable.

We were really into the Folk Singing of the '60's. We both had guitars and we sang together. We performed at many activities. Our signature song was, They Call the Wind Mariah. Dawna and I spent our summers together on the California beach. I wanted to be her, in that I thought she looked so good in a bikini. She wanted to be me because she thought I looked so good in a "bikini top."

Dawna and I were always looking for beautiful places to write songs or just talk. We found a little place on the hillside of a mountain that had just become a cemetery. No, we were not weird. We were just looking for a quiet beautiful place. Our place was called Conejo Mountain. It was absolutely beautiful over looking acres of orange trees. On a clear day, we could see all the way to the ocean. We spent hours in our little quiet cemetery. Often we laughed wondering if the people who were laid to rest enjoyed our singing. Dawna and I had no idea that this beautiful little cemetery would one day mean much more to us than just a beautiful, quiet place.

Dawna and I stayed very close to each other until we graduated high school. I become engaged to be married the day I graduated high school. Dawna became engaged one week later. She was married the last week in November, 1966. I was married the first week in December, 1966. She moved to Georgia. I settled down and started college. I had my first baby in 1969. A son, named Mark. She had a baby girl, Kirsten 2 years later.

I moved to San Juan Capistrano, CA. Dawna came back from Georgia and settled in Santa Paula, CA. One day in 1975, I received a frantic phone call from Dawna. She was so upset that she couldn't talk. Finally, I was able to make out, "Both my parents have been killed in an accident." Then she said, "I am having my parents buried on Conejo Mountain."

Three years later in 1978, I called Dawna from where I was living in Puerto Rico. I screamed into the phone, "Mark is dead." Then, I told her that we were bringing Mark home to California to be buried. I told Dawna that I wanted him buried on Conejo Mountain.

Within a few days, Dawna and I sat stunned at Marks funeral. In fact, although there were hundreds in attendance, Dawna's face is the only one I can really remember. Dawna's parents and my sweet Mark are only steps away from each other. They are together in the beautiful little cemetery that Dawna and I were drawn to when we were young.

We have discussed this over the years, wondering if we were drawn to this beautiful place for some reason? We both decided that we were. We both felt comfortable in the little cemetery. We always felt safe there, never afraid. Therefore, we felt comfortable and secure when it came time for Dawna to leave her parents, and for me to leave my Mark. Dawna's parents died when she was 27. Mark died when I was 30.

Dawna and I have shared so much. We have been best friends for over 50 years. I still think that she looks great in a bikini and she still thinks that I look great in a bikini top. Actually, I think we are both blind! We just love and accept each other for who we both are.

Dawna and Lana, we are connected at the hip and we share more than just friendship. We share a very special place on a lovely mountain over looking acres of orange trees. On a clear day, you can see all the way to the ocean.

New Bugs Scare Me.....

Holli White leading the Chancel Choir.



Holli White, Godspeed Praise Band

Last Spring when the H1N1 virus was just starting to hit the news, I felt a shiver go down my spine. H1N1 was a new virus that started in a small village in Mexico. It quickly spread across the country and very soon across the world. The CDC and Public Health Service started to sound the alarm. This virus was new, and NO ONE had immunity to it. Very quickly the news was out that we had a new virus circulating about the world. Not only was it a new virus, but we knew that that it had the capability to become a killer. Immediately, the money was made available to get a vaccination rolling in order to protect the health of the US public.

Soon, many people were laughing at the sudden alarm this funny little virus was creating. Schools were closed, trips were cancelled and news channels spent hours covering it. Most people said that the CDC was over reacting and started to make light of this new killer virus.

Not me. On May 21, 2009 I wrote the following:

Any new virus which has the potential to kill, or any old contagious illness which causes death or disability is enough to get this cycle going. We know that measles kills people and can leave them permanently disabled. It is known that H1N1 kills, but we have no idea how fast or if it can cause permanent disability. Please give public health, the CDC, and the WHO a break. They are working overtime with an unknown entity. They are working to protect the entire population of the world. Do you want that job?

Remember the horror this county felt when it was discovered that Rubella, the mild 3-day German measles left the human unborn fetus with horrible birth defects? I remember and guess what? I was pregnant with my first baby and there was no preventable vaccine. Did I worry, well yea...I was in nurses training taking care of sick children.

During 1964 and 1965 a rubella epidemic in the United States caused an estimated 12.5million cases of rubella and 20,000 cases of congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) which led to more than 11,600 babies born deaf, 11,250 fetal deaths, 2,100 neonatal deaths, 3,580 babies born blind and 1,800 babies born mentally challenged.

My hope is that H1N1 will turn out to be less potent. But, in the mean time, is it better to have too much information than not enough? Is it better to be too cautious?

Yes!


Today I was informed of a young friend who is currently clinging to life. She is in a coma, and on a ventilator at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington D.C. She has been diagnosed with H1N1.


Please people, take this virus seriously. And, please pray for Holli White.

Soon To Be, Another Grandchild....

Yesterday, I went to a baby shower given in honor of my youngest son, Todd and his wife, Colleen. They are expecting their third baby, a boy on November 18, 2009. This happens to be my daughter Wendy's' wedding anniversary. If the baby is born on November 19, 2009, he will be born on my wedding anniversary and my Father's birthday.

Daddy Todd, was born on December 1, 1980. At the time, we were living on Whidbey Island, WA. Unfortunately, my Dad died suddenly on February 21, 1981. I was 33. Todd, was never able to meet his Grandfather which has always made me sad. It is so hard for me to believe that so many years have past since my Dad died. He has been in Heaven for almost the same amount of time that he was with me here on earth. By the time our new baby is born, my Dad would have been a great Grandfather for a total of seven times. He loved being a Grandfather to Mark and Wendy. He was an exceptional Grandfather, just like he was an extraordinary Father. My Dad was wonderful. He continues to have my devotion.

I look at my son Todd who will soon be thirty. It seems like yesterday that he was baby. It is hard for me look at him as a father of three. Where did the time go?
I remember when I walked into a room I was always the youngest. Now, more than likely, I am the oldest.

I am not sad to be my age. In fact, I am happy. I am settled. I no longer feel restless or that I am missing something, or.....I am not good enough. Not good enough for what? I was never quite sure, life? Not good enough for the world? Who knows? Even after all of these years I still don't know. I just know that now, I finally fit into my skin. It feels so good and very comfortable.

~ Our Beautiful and Precious, Little Kitty ~ `

September 11, 1996 - October 13, 2009

Tonight, our hearts are broken and we can not stop our tears.

Tonight our royal Princess is greeting our beloved Puppy, Abby, and George.

For our dear pets, this is a long awaited, happy reunion.

For us, it is a painful and sad good-bye.

Wendy, My Darling's, Birthday....

Wendy was born October 9, 1972. She was named after Wendy Darling from the 1953 Disney movie, Peter Pan. The name Wendy was created for the movie Peter Pan. It was the first time that the name Wendy had ever been used. I loved the movie Peter Pan, and I especially loved the character, Wendy. She was a wonderful sister to her brothers. She was a great and supportive friend, to Peter Pan. Moreover, I thought Wendy Darling was beautiful.

Wendy was my second baby. My first child was a son, Mark Richard. We did not have sono's in 1972 or epidurals. Every birth was natural without medication, and each baby was a surprise.

I wanted a little girl. And, I wanted her to have red hair. My grandmother had beautiful auburn hair. I wanted my little girl to be blessed with her great grandmother Jane Shirts, beautiful red hair.

I wore pink for my entire pregnancy including a pink hair ribbon everyday. We named the baby Wendy even though we had no idea if we were going to have a girl. Had Wendy been a boy, she would have been named Seth.

I went into labor two hours after I had finished my nursing shift. I was a RN in charge of the Labor and Delivery suite of St. Johns Hospital in Oxnard, California. Imagine the surprise, when I returned to the same nurse that I had just given end of shift report.

I always start with hard labor. There is never a light contraction. Wendy was no exception. I began hard contractions at 1AM. She was born a little after 5AM. I dilated quickly. I went from 5Cm's to complete with one contraction. In fact, my Dr. had just checked me when I screamed the baby is coming. Dr. Chung told me to get a grip as I was only dilated 5Cm's. I remember kicking off the sheet and screaming the baby is coming out. And, she was. Dr. Chung delivered me in his business suit. Wendy was born with such force that she broke both of her little clavicles.

I was so happy that I had delivered a beautiful little girl, but felt so sad that both of her tiny collar bones were broken in the process. There was simply nothing that could be done to prevent this from happening. Wendy was so excited to be my baby that she literally rushed into my arms. In return, I cared carefully for her little broken collar bones until each healed

After Wendy was born, I was given a private room because I was an employee of the hospital. St. John's was a Catholic hospital. I was taken to room 303. When they rolled me onto my bed, I found myself looking directly at a picture of Jesus. I remember distinctly saying, thank you to Jesus, over and over. I was so blessed to have delivered a sweet, 8lb. 8oz, baby girl with beautiful red hair. She was more than anything I had ever hoped for. She had the sweetest little fingers and toes. Her skin was unblemished and translucent. Most distinctly, she had deep violet eyes.

Wendy has lived up to everything that Wendy, the movie character stood for. She is a wonderful sister to her brothers. She has been wonderful and supportive to her friends. And to me, she is now and always will be, the most beautiful girl I have ever seen.

Wendy, my darling has been the delight of my life for 37 years.

Blessed.....

By the grace of God, I am still employed. Although, I have sadly watched 23 people clean out their desks and leave their duties behind. All I can say is wow! We now have too many health care workers?

I made the cut. Why? I have developed my Spanish language skills. I am now considered bi-lingual. It wasn't my versatile nursing skills which kept me employed. It was my language skills.

So, I am telling everyone, if you want a job.....LEARN TO SPEAK SPANISH or choose another language that goes with the population of which you are now living. Speaking another language is no longer just an asset, it is more than likely.....mandatory.