Loving Rita and Frank

This is my favorite picture of my parents.  It wasn’t until Rita’s step-mom Betty died a few years ago that this photo was displayed at her memorium.  My father Frank, died in a car accident in 1979 and Rita, followed him to her grave a bit over seven years later.  Most of my journey has been without parents.  Please do not misconstrue my intention here.  The lessons that came with losing my parents as a young adult were painful yet invaluable.  Two years out of college, another good friend lost his life in a auto/bicycle accident. Life became a fragile thread that could break at any time.  It taught me to live life in the moment. After all, any of us, anyone could lose their physical existence  in an instant.

As I grew older and the years sped up, my admiration for my parents grew.  Frank fought in WWII, Korea and Viet Nam and survived all three.  Rita, a true fashionista, wanted a career yet felt compelled by the times to choose a military man that could support her and her exodus from New Jersey. They traveled the world living in Japan, France, Germany, and Okinowa.  Together they had nine of us.  Born sixth from the top and fourth from the bottom,  we lived in nine different places by the time I  entered puberty.  The best state was Hawaii and the most real was Oklahoma.    Sadly, there are no memories in my cache of Kansas or France.  The longest we lived in any state before Colorado was Virginia.  Fondly, I recall our trips to Williamsburg and the beach. 

This picture is my favorite because it captured a place where my parents started so many years ago.  Poor, yet happy. Look in the background; not much prosperity there.  It reminds me again, that  money doesn’t make you happy.  Living in the moment is the only way to go.  It taught me about being grateful for all the lessons that came my way.  My advice to you…be in the moment…be happy… be exactly where you are, no matter where that is. If you don’t like where you are, change the view.