No Fixed Plans

Weekend Coffee Share is a time for us to take a break out of our lives and enjoy some timely catching up with friends (old and new)! If we were having coffee, I'd mention that I haven't had coffee in two weeks, which is something of a record for me.  I'd tell you that we had a lot of people in town starting last week and continuing till Monday. Friends and relatives came to my brother Bill's funeral. Lots of funny stories were shared. Perhaps my favorite was new to me. As a boy, Bill caddied at a local country club. He liked golf and the camaraderie, but he wasn't the most mature caddy they had. Actually, he'd been fired for being tardy or not cleaning all the clubs carefully, The grouchy caddy master would fire Bill. But the next day Bill would go back to work. His friend Paul shared the story. Paul would ask Bill, "Weren't you fired yesterday?" Bill would admit he was, but said he figured they'd let him stay if he came back. Go figure, it wo...

  Weekend Coffee Share is a time for us to take a break out of our lives and enjoy some timely catching up with friends (old and new)! If we were having coffee, there'd be a lot of people coming and going. Lots of tears and lots of hugs. I'd hoped I'd be able to share all my photos of Open House Chicago, but I can do that next week.  After a lovely Saturday and normal Sunday, our lives changed Monday night when my brother Bill had a massive heart attack. My sister-in-law called me at 6:50 pm distraught asking if I'd come to watch Will, their youngest while she went to the hospital.  By the time my mother and I arrived, Bill was gone. So fast. Bill was a mischievous boy, a lifelong Cubs fan, a history buff, a great family man, a Bronze Star officer who served 2 tours in Iraq and one in Bahrain, a community leader, a delegate to the 1980 Democrat Convention, an attorney for the state working to make Chicago safe. He leaves 5 terrific kids. The oldest is 20, the younges...

  Weekend Coffee Share is a time for us to take a break out of our lives and enjoy some timely catching up with friends (old and new)! If we were having coffee, I'd begin by sharing the good news that I've heard from Nahid, one of my students from Afghanistan. She's now in France with her married brother, his wife, her other brother and sister. (Both her parents have passed away.) There's another brother who's lived in Paris for a few years. First they went to Paris but on Wednesday were moved to Tour. She told me Tour was the name of her town, and that it's in the South of France. The only French town I know of with a name like that is Tours. I'd like some clarification because I do have a friend in a small town in the south of France, who might be able to help her.  It's a big relief that she and her family are safe. The other two students are stuck. Sharifa is still in Kandahar and Homira's family is still in Kabul. It's frightful. Homira tol...