Scrolling

I guess the day I am able to scroll through this blog and not cry my eyes out is the day they will bury me.  I absolutely love life and all that it entails, but the ending of life is something that I have a really difficult time dealing with and today is no exception.

Yesterday I drove from Denver, where my son, Emily and I are living, to Montana, to visit my brother.  On the way, I found out that my son's paternal grandmother had passed away.  My son hasn't been very close to his dad's side of the family for the past 13 or 14 years, and he hadn't seen her for at least that long, but there's no denying when you lose your last grandparent, it's difficult.

Wolf is doing alright, he says, but I know it's hard.  I just wish I could take the pain away.

Now here's a cute picture of Emily and my son's cat Willow to remind us how awesome life is.

My Most Amazing Blessing in Life; Happy Birthday Son

Thirty years ago today I received the most amazing blessing in life; my son Wolf was born.  He was and still is the light of my life.  He is my very best friend in the universe and I can't imagine life without him.  He still tells me he loves me in front of ALL of his friends and actually enjoys going places with me.  He is giving, loving, kind and protective of all of the people in his life.  I am the luckiest mom in the world!

He lives in Denver, which is a good day's drive from me, but we still spend quite a bit of time together.  Last month, his dad was working road construction and was his by a pickup.  As a result, he lost his leg above the knee.  Wolf, who hadn't seen his dad in a long time, rushed to his side and offered him great comfort.  Since I am my own boss, I was able to join them.  We spent 4 days with his dad and half sister, Abby.  Since there were many valid reasons why Wolf had chosen not to see his dad, I was extremely proud of him for making the decision to go to him.  During their visit, his dad apologized for his behavior many years ago, and now they once again have a relationship and I am very thankful for that.

The month before that I was able to spend 5 days with him in Denver.  Two of our kid cousins went with me and SO MUCH FUN WAS HAD!  We shopped, enjoyed a few very nice meals out, I cooked a bunch, and we barbecued and had Wolf's amazing friends over.  Wolf, the kids and I went to the IMAX and watched "Rock of Ages" and had an incredible time!  I laughed so hard I snorted a dozen times or more and the kids had an absolute blast.

I often wonder where I would be today if I hadn't had my son.  I had been told I wouldn't be able to have a child, so when he came he was an even more incredible blessing.  I'd like to think I would still be OK, but I am not all that sure of that.  He is the best of me.  He brings out the best in me.  He is the love and light of my life and I would like to wish him a very happy 30th birthday and thank him for all of the love he has brought into my life.  I love you son.

Say WHAT?

I am SO excited!  I haven't seen my son in over two months and I am leaving tomorrow morning to spend almost a week with him!  I can't wait!  Two of my kid cousins, Sadie and Eric, are going along and we intend to have the time of our lives this weekend at Pridefest Denver!  Wolf, Sadie and I went several years ago and had an absolute blast, and we can't wait to share the fun with Eric!

As excited as I am, I can't say the same for Queen Emily.

You are going to Denver without me?  You WILL be punished.

I am very thankful

I have been a blog slacker lately, but for good reason. Dad has been in the hospital with aspiration pneumonia, which is fairly common in patients with Parkinson's disease. It was touch and go for awhile, but he is doing much better now and will most likely be returning to the nursing home tomorrow.


The staff at the hospital has been wonderful to him and are going to miss him, but the folks at the nursing home are excited that he is returning.

In other news, Wolf DID make a it home for Thanksgiving and a wonderful time was had by all. We had a huge family gathering in Billings and then went to see dad. He ate a monstrous meal of pureed turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie and whipped cream.

I forgot my camera, but Wolf took quite a few with his cell phone and will send them to me when he gets back to Denver. He is on the way as I write this post. The roads are nasty, so please say a little prayer for his safety if you would.

I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving, and I will try to post more frequently in the future.

It takes many colors to make a rainbow...

As most of you know, I'm the proud mother of a wonderful gay man.

On my recent trip to visit him, I was lucky enough to be able to attend PrideFest 2008. It was an incredible gathering of incredible people who were there to celebrate diversity.

I could NOT have had a better time. I was loud and I was proud!

The photos that follow were taken at the parade held on Sunday, June 22 in beautiful downtown Denver.



































































I cried a dozen times during the 10 hours we were in downtown Denver, hanging out with my son and his friends.

I cried for joy at the beauty I saw, the hands of the young lovers entwined...the parents marching in support of their gay children...the children marching in support of their gay parents...the mothers and grandmothers arm in arm...all of those things made me cry.

Other things made me cry too, but not for joy: the words of my son's roommate who said Pride weekend was the one weekend of the year that he could hold hands with his lover in public without fear of being mocked...the people holding rude signs and chanting "repent sinners" as the parade passed by their "church", and most of all, I cried when I thought of all the young gay men and women who had to move from states like Montana and Wyoming to find a modicum of acceptance in the big city.

I wish I was a poet, or even a writer...I'd have profound words to say...words that would make a difference, but I'm not and I don't and I can't.

Next year Pridefest will be held on June 27th and June 28th in downtown Denver and I'm going to be there. Once again I'm going to be loud and proud.