tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197597102880101691.post2777440554376036882..comments2024-03-18T09:38:38.889-07:00Comments on Eye on the Edge: Time marches onDJanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07152183871573797791noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197597102880101691.post-88007695296577978492012-10-03T15:32:12.467-07:002012-10-03T15:32:12.467-07:00Dear DJan,
Thanks so much for your post. It mean...Dear DJan,<br /><br />Thanks so much for your post. It means the world to me because I am sitting here at the exact age my mother was when she died. (Fifty-six and 3 months). My mother died in 1974 when I was 17.<br /><br />I have no idea what to do with this day. Celebrate? Mourn? It's tough to talk about because most of my friends still have their parents and can't relate.<br /><br />So, when I googled the subject and found your post, I was thankful for what you wrote. <br /><br />It's always gratifying to know we're not alone in our circumstances... that others have been where we are now... slogged through and risen above.Theresahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17942943596775696933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197597102880101691.post-26208828978528278682012-08-22T17:44:27.684-07:002012-08-22T17:44:27.684-07:00Yup the way you put it in this post makes it very ...Yup the way you put it in this post makes it very clear. I am only 66 but have had my sure of roller coaster life experiences.On Sunday my sister and I will be off to visit our 91 tear old aunt. Her partner just turned 100 and they are just back from what they think my be their last vacation away together. Who can tell?Heidrun Khokhar, KleinsteMottehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16174142810114806410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197597102880101691.post-2881358397878768082012-08-15T22:11:24.828-07:002012-08-15T22:11:24.828-07:00Great old photo..I sense that you are a little afr...Great old photo..I sense that you are a little afraid now that you are almost the same age as your Mother was when she died. You live differently than she did..people that hike and skydive and eat all their veggies must live longer than most people:)Far Side of Fiftyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07995757632158408442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197597102880101691.post-82292120816464991262012-07-28T15:02:55.421-07:002012-07-28T15:02:55.421-07:00Quite a reflective post. I have had similar thoug...Quite a reflective post. I have had similar thoughts. Very glad not to be alone with them!Linda Myershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05706455533282204519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197597102880101691.post-74605493732547080262012-07-28T15:02:35.747-07:002012-07-28T15:02:35.747-07:00Quite a reflective post. I have had similar thoug...Quite a reflective post. I have had similar thoughts. Very glad not to be alone with them!Linda Myershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05706455533282204519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197597102880101691.post-87490503468782339222012-07-27T11:21:38.221-07:002012-07-27T11:21:38.221-07:00You do have the best photos to draw on for your yo...You do have the best photos to draw on for your younger years. The photo of you and your mom at your sister's wedding is nice of both of you. It looks like it was a fancy wedding. you have packed a lot into your one life, you have not sat it out idly, you have participated fully in your life. That is one of the things I admire about you the most.CiCihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02466038341689494316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197597102880101691.post-23906278059676856772012-07-25T23:34:24.402-07:002012-07-25T23:34:24.402-07:00There's a book here.There's a book here.Trishhttp://www.synchrosecrets.com/synchrosecretsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197597102880101691.post-1013672120762751212012-07-25T21:04:32.717-07:002012-07-25T21:04:32.717-07:00Jan...Your posts are packed with feelings that rea...Jan...Your posts are packed with feelings that reach the deepest parts of my heart.<br />First of all, I love the fact that you call your Mama "Mama." I call mine that, too. Your Mama is beautiful; genes run deep, don't they. <br />Each time I read about the death of your sons, I cry. I can't help it. It's a Mama thing, I think.<br /> Your Mama being the center of your universe says a great deal about what a wonderful Mama she was to you. <br />As you approach your seventieth birthday, I want to wish you blessings and happiness that fill every cloudy day that you might encounter. You are indeed an inspiration to me.<br />Keep on keepin' on, my friend. <br />I know that you will. It's in you for always!Jackiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214796594702277709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197597102880101691.post-51636466042157065422012-07-25T00:02:35.570-07:002012-07-25T00:02:35.570-07:00A wonderful thing to read on this, what would have...A wonderful thing to read on this, what would have been my father's 104th birthday. I clicked onto this while hopping from someone else's blog, and found myself thinking: Snohomish? Skydiving? Do you know Djan? <br /><br />You ARE Djan! I'd only been to Djanity. March on, my sweet. I'm right behind you.Murr Brewsterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03422638986410813520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197597102880101691.post-53338432795287314962012-07-24T20:56:57.204-07:002012-07-24T20:56:57.204-07:00Love the picture and the post so much! How differ...Love the picture and the post so much! How different your life is at 69 than your mother's--hiking, sky diving, biking, gardening. And video chatting and reading books on tiny screens is truly like a science fiction movie from the 60s or being on Star Trek or the Twilight Zone. ;) Life is short, but it's wide. :):)Ritahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02043285884495492598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197597102880101691.post-20726854751716709712012-07-24T00:51:28.149-07:002012-07-24T00:51:28.149-07:00You skydive?!!!! And tell about it in such a matte...You skydive?!!!! And tell about it in such a matter-of-fact manner?!<br />I am impressed, most definitely. <br /><br />Loved this post. My mother has been gone since 2000 and I often think of how much of today's life would seem a fantasy (in many cases, a horror) to her. I also compare myself to who she was at the age I am now (61) and realize how markedly different we are as women. Neither of us plowed through the sky, however! (Your post certainly has ratcheted up my commitment to my walking program, however!)Lydiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11135393270656573516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197597102880101691.post-2145300638465818472012-07-23T13:51:00.128-07:002012-07-23T13:51:00.128-07:00Dear DJan, this evocative reflection on growing ol...Dear DJan, this evocative reflection on growing older left me somewhat melancholy in that I so love life and I know that it shall end. And yet, in that ending I believe is a new beginning. The timeless cycle and circle of life.<br /><br />My mother died when she was 58. I'm now 76 and so I've lived so much longer than she did. And I'm glad to have been given this opportunity to grow because at 58 I was still in some ways caught in the past, wanting to please others so as not to be abandoned. Only in the last few years have I finally let go and accepted the who of me. That acceptance has been a great gift. <br /><br />Your posting, I think, is exceptional. Thank you for it. Peace.Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197597102880101691.post-65994678207593935702012-07-23T11:07:21.325-07:002012-07-23T11:07:21.325-07:00Time sure does seem to advance without us quite no...Time sure does seem to advance without us quite noticing it! I've noticed I've kind of lost my sense of the passage of time since I finished college... There years were marked so clearly according to the academic calendar, with Christmas and summer holidays almost half a year apart. I can pretty much remember what I did every single summer until I finished my Master's Degree, but all the summers after that (and the years!) are a bundled mess!<br /><br />I'm reaching the age where any slight problem in my parents' health worries me (and their current problems aren't that slight!) because I know they're nearing an age where a small problem can quickly grow bigger. And it scares me! My age has never felt like anything to me, only in relation to others... and now I begin to realise that the years I have left to enjoy with my parents are numbered. I try <i>not</i> to think about it actually... too depressing to imagine!<br /><br />Going into the 70s might mean you have to slow down on some activities DJan, but having gotten to know you a bit through the blogs, I feel pretty confident in saying that if you have to stop one activity you'll soon find another to replace it with and will also fall in love with it! ;o)<br /><br />hugs!CrazyCrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17512240982215608638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197597102880101691.post-78110124702883592922012-07-23T09:34:17.078-07:002012-07-23T09:34:17.078-07:00Looking back at photos, even from the not so dista...Looking back at photos, even from the not so distant past, is definitely a reminder of how much in life changes. Isn't it odd to look at your face before such loss and sorrow, trying to remember the you before such life-altering events? I find myself looking at pictures of me before my sister died, amazed at my innocence. <br /><br />You do indeed live an amazing life with much to be thankful for. Thank you for being such an inspiration to me, and a reminder that life is meant to be lived and enjoyed to its fullest.O-town Ramblingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12462693501650732288noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197597102880101691.post-72804809010623709932012-07-23T05:15:33.824-07:002012-07-23T05:15:33.824-07:00Loved that picture of you and your mother. You wer...Loved that picture of you and your mother. You were quite the cutie. Hats seem to have fallen by the wayside haven't they?<br />I know how you feel. I got a picture from my sister yesterday in my birthday card of all us siblings together as 20 and thirty somethings. Wow, were we young, firm of flesh and thin. <br /> The way you are taking care of your body, you shouldn't have to worry much about decline.Arkansas Pattihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14156004753267665579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197597102880101691.post-79982069585035135222012-07-23T04:26:24.368-07:002012-07-23T04:26:24.368-07:00I love the photos and the styles! It's good we...I love the photos and the styles! It's good we don't know what's coming lest we just give up. When the circumstances require it, somehow we find the ability to take the next step and deal with the heart breaking losses. You did that and sculpted a life for yourself that's full and rich. Good for you!Grandmother Maryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18169464484379536529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197597102880101691.post-1024590953732211542012-07-22T20:08:34.885-07:002012-07-22T20:08:34.885-07:00It was of some concern to me if I would outlive my...It was of some concern to me if I would outlive my Mother. she was 59 when she died. I have outlived her and now look back to think how young she was when she died. <br /> When I tell my kids about my family life on the farm I can hardly believe what I'm saying. It is much different and will be much different if we stay here very long.Redhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17996243850279671523noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197597102880101691.post-47871001157686446632012-07-22T19:42:33.809-07:002012-07-22T19:42:33.809-07:00I have a similar photo taken about three years lat...I have a similar photo taken about three years later of me as I was in my sister's wedding. The photo shocks me now. I don't remember ever looking that good. And then the old photos make me a little sad as I contemplate my lost youth. But then I think about how fortunate I am now and what a good life I have, and have had, and I let that old nostalgia go. We must live in the moment.Linda Reederhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07665601809156707572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197597102880101691.post-85700043048849865142012-07-22T15:43:06.324-07:002012-07-22T15:43:06.324-07:00Time does indeed march on. And your post serves a...Time does indeed march on. And your post serves as a gentle reminder that I need to remember that well.<br /><br />Love the photo of you and your mom!Gigihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05467164195744234746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197597102880101691.post-71093908017373316832012-07-22T14:44:18.373-07:002012-07-22T14:44:18.373-07:00My mum died at age 69 as well, in 1992 in her case...My mum died at age 69 as well, in 1992 in her case so I can identify with that time scale. When we look back it is almost impossible to believe that we were the people in those old photos and yet at the same time, we transport ourselves back and remember lots of little details that the photos have brought back. I am looking forward to celebrating your 70th birthday with you D-Jan.Stella Joneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06699491230987143490noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197597102880101691.post-644445296315321642012-07-22T11:53:05.642-07:002012-07-22T11:53:05.642-07:00That is a great photo. I can totally relate to tho...That is a great photo. I can totally relate to those outfits, including the mandatory gloves. And funny, my mother had that same look on her face at my sister's wedding in 1967. You had terrible loss in your life, but you have really done an inspiring job of finding purpose and meaning and peace. I'm having a temporary setback this summer but I see you as a great role model, and an encouraging friend.Nancy/BLissed-Out Grandmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17223278142557533175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197597102880101691.post-26609753126048276082012-07-22T11:02:55.091-07:002012-07-22T11:02:55.091-07:00Lives unfold in such unexpected ways. I have found...Lives unfold in such unexpected ways. I have found I can live without so many things that I thought I'd die if I didn't have. <br />And I'm 61! Amazing how young 61 seems now, considering that when I was 31 such an age was definitely Old.<br />I hope when I die I can come back again, or go on to a different plane. It would be a shame to waste all the wisdom I've gained.Junehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11710135137635433217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197597102880101691.post-30323101758314352802012-07-22T09:47:26.573-07:002012-07-22T09:47:26.573-07:00That's too bad, DJan. Thank you for being so ...That's too bad, DJan. Thank you for being so honest. I was pretty messed up myself, pursuing a musical careeer when I lacked sufficient talent to pull it off. So when I gave birth to Maria out of wedlock, the baby gave my life focus and new meaning. Then, I married David 2 years later, and the rest is history. But, Maria's birth was pivotal. Without her, where would I be today? Lol.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197597102880101691.post-60970685974010500482012-07-22T09:30:27.007-07:002012-07-22T09:30:27.007-07:00Gigi, the loss of my son at such an early age brok...Gigi, the loss of my son at such an early age broke up our marriage and I entered into a relationship afterwards with a man 23 years my senior. He did not want children, and by the time I got out of THAT relationship, I was in such a mess that I am glad I didn't subject any other innocent people to my life!DJanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07152183871573797791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197597102880101691.post-51575775328347171662012-07-22T08:55:55.975-07:002012-07-22T08:55:55.975-07:00It puzzles me that you did not have more children ...It puzzles me that you did not have more children after Stephen died. You were still in your early twenties! I had Maria at age 32, and Lisa at 36. And my first grandkid at 61 and my second at 64. So, as you can see, I started reproducing really late in life.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com