Dr. Juan Manuel DeLecuona

Dr. John

I have just returned from Augusta, Georgia, the memorial service for my son-in-law, Juan DeLecuona, my daughter Becky's husband. John was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1961. He and his mother came to the Uited States when he was six years old and settled in Staten Island. John was board certified in both psychiatry and neurology and touched many lives through his work and his life.

John and Becky met when he was a resident at Albert Einshein in the psychiatric emergency room of the North Central Bronx Hospital and she was a social work intern there. They married in June, 1989. The have two children, Lillian Isabel, born February 8, 2000, and Russell Manuel, born February 16, 2004.

Lillie wrote a tribute to her dad which was printed in the service bulletin. She gave me permission to quote some of it here.

"My dad and I had a special relationship. We told each other secrets and our worries. He taught me to see the beauty in everything. He gave me my passions of the arts and especially photography. He didn't smile much but when he talked about me his eyes sparkled and told what he really felt.  It is a relationship that I will never have with anyone else and will never be broken by anything, even death.
Death is a horrible thing. Life is something very precious and shouldn't be taken for granted, even when things look bleak. But he still lives on in our memories and is watching over us, right now, up in heaven playing the banjo."

It was good to celebrate the life of this dedicated man.

My life is more than what I have done

“Ask me whether what I have done is my life?”

-- from Let Your Life Speak by Parker Palmer  

I am fascinated with this quote, for we are all so quick to describe our lives in terms of our accomplishments. I am proud of many things that I have done, but they are not all of me.

 

 I have lived in many places making a home for my family.

 

I have raised children, taught children, nurtured children, mine and other people's.

 

I have gone to school, taught school, and taught teachers to teach school.

 

I have learned so much
          and forgotten so much of that.

 

 

Throughout my years in academia I would update my resume each year to assure my superiors and colleagues that I was worthy of my role. I submitted syllabi and evaluations from my students and peers so that committees could decide whether what I had done was worthy of promotion and recognition.

 

Then I retired and I remember thinking that at last I could put all that aside and just be me, not what I have done, but who I am. Now I am blogging to tell the world (and myself) who I am.
     It is a little bit scary.

 

What I have done is a large part of who I am,
       but it is not all.

Keep tuned to find out more about my self-discovery.
        Follow my blog and you may learn more about me- and about yourself  -in the process.

 

 

 

Christmas 2012

Second Day of Christmas



What's going on here?

Guest post by Heather the Cat--
Too much for a cat to take in. A new green climbing toy with treasures to pull down and chase around the room. Everyone too busy to even provide the necessary laps for napping.

Then come hordes of (four) vistors to play games with cats.

During what should be a quiet night people are sneaking in to set out more interesting stuff.

The quiet time ends with loud voices and the shuffling of packages all around.

Soon a celebration of shiny paper everywhere leaves me new boxes to jump into. Absolute Heaven for cats.

Suddenly the people are all gone and we are back to only two laps to crawl up in. Where did they all go?

 I hope they leave this new green climbing post here. Callie and I can take turns prancing up and down it. The people are too tired to even pay attention to how I settle into the tree branches and sleep there undisturbed.

{Thanks to guest blogger, Heather. I'm worn out with Christmas merriment.}

Always learning

Talk about Lifelong Learning. Wow. I have a favorite cartoon in mind picturing a classroom of kids all sitting in their desks and one has his hand raised:
    
     "Teacher, may I be excused? My brain in full."

I can relate to that today and this month as I am researching where to go to get my novel TOO MUCH LEFT UNSAID published. Man, there are a lot of options.

I have hired @Hannah Crawford of @The Write Place to edit my "final" draft, knowing that there will still be changes she will recommend.  But I am taking a break to get some other things done.

Joined PINTEREST and GOODREADS but have lots to learn about how to best use them.

        Any hints on how to use either of these would be appreciated. Collinsleej@gmail.com

Learn, learn, learn. I think my brain is filling fast.

Advent Resolutions

Christmas joy and peace be yours as we wait for and work for Christ's coming again.

I send out my Christmas letters after Christmas.
     I decided years ago that I would not write Christmas letters when all the other hubbub of preparations are calling mr.
     My desire to touch base with friends is more neaningful for me, and maybe for them, if I wait until Christmas is over.

But this year I am getting the jump on resolutions by making them now--at the start of the church year--in Advent.

1. I resolve to be a better listener. I know I learn more when I listen than when I talk.
2. I resolve to keep in touch with old friends and make new ones.
3. I resolve to organize my desk, my files, my house, and my thoughts.
4. I resolve to try "to let the goodness of God express itself in my obedient heart and mind and will."

That should be good for starters.



What will you be resolving for 2013? Leave a response or email me at collinsleej@gmail.

Gender neutral language

"Mankind" was once understood as referring to both male and female people, but somewhere in the course of my lifetime, we replaced the term with" humankind."

I've been thinking about gender neutral pronouns and nouns that encompass "humankind".

We have no pronoun that fits the bill when we want to talk about someone whose gender is unknown to us.

• Did the writer do HIS job in telling the story?
• Did the doctor complete HER rounds this morning?
• Does the artist convey HIS/HER message clearly?
• The student seems puzzled. Does s/he understand the problem presented?

It seems awkward to say "he or she" when referring to a person of unknown gender, but it still seems gramatically  incorrect to use "they" when only one person or being is being talked about.

We have changed how we talk about roles in today's world. For the most part the change is comfortable once one gets used to it.

"Hero" now means anyone--male or female--who does a heroic act. The word "heroine" today conveys a degree of helplessness that doesn't give the impression of taking charge.

Mail carriers has replaces the term "mailman" and fire fighters has replaced the term "fireman".

Waitperson seems to be preferred over waiter or waitress; Flight attendent over stewardess or steward.

Actor now means anyone who acts. The term "actress" is out-of-style.


Maybe I should refer to my novel as HERstoric fiction.

Your comments are always welcome. Comment here or send me an email at

CollinsleeJ@gmail.com

Little Known Fact about Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving can mean many things to many people.

I am truly thankful for all the wonderful people in my life and all the good things that have happened to me.

I grew up the daughter of a department store merchandise manager and Thanksgiving was the beginning of the Christmas Shoppng Season even back in those days. But I imagine many people do not realize that it took an act of Congress to settle when Thanksgiving should be celebrated.

• When I was a child Thanksgiving's date was SOME Thursday in November--but no general agreement about which one. Department stores wanted some consistencey, so they asked President Franklin Roosevelt to set a date.
• In 1940 and 1941 it was celebrated on the THIRD Thursday of November.
• On October 6, 1941 Congress passed a resolution making Thanksgiving the LAST Thursday of November.
• In December, 1941 The Senate passed an amendment to the resolution establishing Thanksgiving as the FOURTH Thursday in November,
• This is the reason that in 2012 Thanksgiving is on the earliest possible date.
• Won't everyone be surprised NEXT YEAR when Thanksgiving is on the latest possible date?

This year BLACK FRIDAY crept into Thursday's time with some stores opening Thursday evening.. With a week less of the Shopping Season next year, it will be interesting to see what happens.

Did you learn a little history today reading this?

Send me a comment and let me know.