A Poem in Remembrance of Paul Goldstein 2010 by Sue

A Poem in Remembrance of Paul Goldstein 2010

by Sue

A Penny Found on the Ground dated 1975

The year I met you on the phone,

When, ‘MODENT’ was new and alive.

I Found an Invoice, in a Jar of Dreams You sent to me in Maine

It says to write down all my Dreams

And keep them in my Heart,

I’ll keep it there in the Jar,

Or, perhaps I’ll put it in a frame

It matters not what I do

For without you life has not been the same

The recipe for Rice Salad

Remains in lettered Red

Because that was the only pen

I had as I copied what you said

A Penny found on the Ground dated 2007

The year you left the Earth for Heaven

To Join the Songs of Angels

Dear Paul...

Dear Paul,

Things are a bit hectic this year. Moving again, although this time a bit unexpected. I think you'd like the new place. Reminds me a little of Salt Point, without the crazy landlord though we hope. Mom is still in Latham, and doing OK. We had a big Thanksgiving get-together at the Desmond with her, although I think you already know that. The heart-shaped potato on her plate was a nice touch. You must be so proud of Stephanie. The rest of the kids are doing well. All the girls are all either in, or finished with college, and I'm sure Alec will end up there too. Say hi to Dad, the grandparents, and everyone else. I think maybe tonight we'll whip up a batch of coffee-pot mac-n-cheese, some pudding, and watch Murder By Death. I'll leave a chair for you.

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday to my brother Paul, who is 52 today. I think, now that I've mastered the art of low-carb cake baking, I will make a small one tonight in his honor. Enjoy!

Welcome Home Mom!

This past Thursday Lee and I flew out to Carlsbad, CA to get Mom ready for the journey home to New York, which occurred Saturday night. She is now back in New York, and seemed to make the journey OK. Some strange happenings on the way there got me thinking about Paul again.

Lee booked the flights for us. Since I was bringing mom home on the red-eye Saturday night, he booked a non stop for me from Newark, and a one way for her sitting next to me on the return trip. His fight didn't need to be non stop, and he would usually rather leave from Stewart or Albany for convenience sake. Here, now is a list of some rather amazing coincidences that followed:

--Lee's flight from Stewart ended up changing planes in Newark, onto the SAME FLIGHT I was on.

--I knew when we booked the separate flights that Lee was sitting a few rows away from me, but didn't remember exactly where. We were both stuck in middle seats too, as that was all that was left at booking time. I checked in online the night before, and quickly grabbed an aisle seat that wasn't available when we booked. It ended up being the seat NEXT TO LEE.

--The flight was full. They even announced that, so that people knew to conserve space in the overheads. When the plane finally finished boarding there was one empty seat from a no-show: THE WINDOW SEAT NEXT TO LEE.

Once again, I'm not usually much for spirits and the like, but I would like to believe that he was either there with us, or somehow made sure that we had a more comfortable ride than we would have. Thank you Paul, either way, and although I'm sure if you're capable of watching us you already know this: Mom is home, and safe with the rest of us. Say hi to dad, and could we manage an "accidental" first-class upgrade the next time we travel?