This being alone is hard... I'm trying to take care of business before heading for the canyon and the warmth of family and friends and my mind simply won't cooperate.
Wesley and Alena along with his longtime pal Seth and girlfriend will be here Sunday and then we'll head for the canyon Wednesday. I leave for the national school counselor's conference in Atlanta the day after the memorial. Then back to Phoenix for one night before heading for Belize with my old (well she is) friend, Terry from Grand Canyon thanks to the understanding of her husband (and my friend) Dan.
Kitty cat, Brian, is doing much better now that our friend, Brandi, is staying at the house. He is good company for me. The gardens looks great and evidence of all the work the "work crews" did is everywhere. I will forever be grateful for the outpouring of help this past year.
Hope to see many of you at the canyon (Shoshone Point), Thursday, June 26, 3:00 till sunset.
Every day remains a gift, Peggy
PS Hello new cyberspace friends, Tina and Tim in Belize. Hope to meet you soon. Terry and I will be at Banana Beach where I hope to read a book with a plot.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
Grand Canyon Celebration
Every day was a gift. Come celebrate the memory of Marcus at Grand Canyon (Shoshone Point) at 3:00 on June 26. The event will be causal - bring some food to share, a plate and eating utensil, a lawn chair or blanket, and memories. I'll have water and music.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
memorial planned for June 26
Hello friends, family, and others who would like to join us,
A celebration of the life and memory of Marcus will be held June 26 (Thursday) during the afternoon and evening at Shoshone Point on the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Please type in the search words, Shoshone Point Grand Canyon, for information regarding directions. It will be a very informal pot-luck type event - you bring something to share, your own paper plates, etc and something to drink. Those of you from Grand Canyon School, this will be like a WOTR (Wine On The Rim) gathering. We'll shuttle those who aren't into walking and can have 15 vehicles out there. Jay Thompson, an old friend from Moqui Lodge, will be making a pamphlet which will most definitely be a keepsake for me. If you plan to come and need a place to stay, please let me know and I'll see what I can do to find lodging.
I'm visiting family and friends in Iowa after a few days with my cousin, Sue (and Ed)in Minnesota for Alena's graduation and party at Margie and Jack's. It was such a special event with the key note speaker reminding me how special and caring nurses can and should be. I'm so thankful Alena is in our family.
Every day seems so long and every night even longer. I am so sad. I only get by because you all hold me up. Hope to see many of you in June.
Every Day (remains) A Gift full of memories... Peggy
A celebration of the life and memory of Marcus will be held June 26 (Thursday) during the afternoon and evening at Shoshone Point on the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Please type in the search words, Shoshone Point Grand Canyon, for information regarding directions. It will be a very informal pot-luck type event - you bring something to share, your own paper plates, etc and something to drink. Those of you from Grand Canyon School, this will be like a WOTR (Wine On The Rim) gathering. We'll shuttle those who aren't into walking and can have 15 vehicles out there. Jay Thompson, an old friend from Moqui Lodge, will be making a pamphlet which will most definitely be a keepsake for me. If you plan to come and need a place to stay, please let me know and I'll see what I can do to find lodging.
I'm visiting family and friends in Iowa after a few days with my cousin, Sue (and Ed)in Minnesota for Alena's graduation and party at Margie and Jack's. It was such a special event with the key note speaker reminding me how special and caring nurses can and should be. I'm so thankful Alena is in our family.
Every day seems so long and every night even longer. I am so sad. I only get by because you all hold me up. Hope to see many of you in June.
Every Day (remains) A Gift full of memories... Peggy
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
When the Music's Over...
Today, after 59 years of love and laughter Marcus passed away at home, surrounded by the most amazing wife on the planet, Peggy, Wes, Alena, Mandy, Julie and Paul. As much as I've feared this day, it was peaceful as my dad was sent off to the cosmos to the tune of 'When the Music's Over' by The Doors, how fitting. The music is not over, it's just taken a different shape; one you'll see in the sunrises, one you'll hear in your favorite song, one you'll smell every spring, and one you'll see when you look in the mirror.
The benefits served as more than that in my dad's opinion and we will not be having a funeral. They bum us out anyway. We will hold a celebration of my dad's life sometime in the next few months, but as of now no date or place has been set. It'll likely be at the canyon this summer.
Our family wishes to express our appreciation and gratitude for all that you have done.
Here are a few photos I never got the chance to post from the Grand Canyon benefit.
We never die, we just change form.
Love,
Mandy
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
We watched sunrise this morning...
It'd been quite awhile since Marcus and I watched a sunrise together. This morning, our first morning home in two weeks, I opened the curtains to the patio door and a most beautiful sunrise warmed our hearts.
Today we meet with the Hospice people from Saint George. They are kind and caring and were able to get a sense of what our family is all about through the books Julie made of special events this past year. So now we begin yet another stage in our journey. Mandy has decided to move back to the Page area (had been working at the Grand Canyon for several weeks) and Kurt (Marcus' brother), Laura, and our neice, Neeve, will be here Friday as well as Wes and Alena. My sister, Patty, is also planning a visit as are Julie and Paul.
I've been reading Final Gifts loaned from my good friend, Terry, about end of life communications and experiences written by two Hospice nurses and another book from my sister-in-law, Sharon, The Tibetin Book on Living and Dying. I highly recommend both of them.
We have so many people to thank for help and support on our journey. I am a little weary and simply want to say, thank you...for your love, sharing, help, support, generousity, prayers, and anything else. I do need to mention that our Grand Canyon friends performed a melodrama written and directed by Marcus' poker buddy, Bob Kelso and the profit went to, you guessed it, the Fuhrman family. While I know Bob is a funny guy, I was very impressed and needed the endorphens (spelling) from the laughter! They may perform for tourists this summer so check it out if you get Grand Canyon way.
Every day remains a gift. Please continue to post comments.
Love and appreciation, Peggy
Today we meet with the Hospice people from Saint George. They are kind and caring and were able to get a sense of what our family is all about through the books Julie made of special events this past year. So now we begin yet another stage in our journey. Mandy has decided to move back to the Page area (had been working at the Grand Canyon for several weeks) and Kurt (Marcus' brother), Laura, and our neice, Neeve, will be here Friday as well as Wes and Alena. My sister, Patty, is also planning a visit as are Julie and Paul.
I've been reading Final Gifts loaned from my good friend, Terry, about end of life communications and experiences written by two Hospice nurses and another book from my sister-in-law, Sharon, The Tibetin Book on Living and Dying. I highly recommend both of them.
We have so many people to thank for help and support on our journey. I am a little weary and simply want to say, thank you...for your love, sharing, help, support, generousity, prayers, and anything else. I do need to mention that our Grand Canyon friends performed a melodrama written and directed by Marcus' poker buddy, Bob Kelso and the profit went to, you guessed it, the Fuhrman family. While I know Bob is a funny guy, I was very impressed and needed the endorphens (spelling) from the laughter! They may perform for tourists this summer so check it out if you get Grand Canyon way.
Every day remains a gift. Please continue to post comments.
Love and appreciation, Peggy
Friday, April 4, 2008
Peggy updating - not as entertaining as Marcus!
Hello friends, family, and fans of Marcus - hey that's aliteration!
Since the last update we've had visits from Marcus' sister, Emily, Steve (her husband), and our nephew, Lars, plus my sister, Mary and her husband Mike came for a week leaving this past Wednesday. We treasure the time spent with them and goodbyes were difficult and quiet. Our friend, Judi, comes this weekend and Peter, Marcus' brother from France, arrives for a short visit Monday. He'll take us to Las Vegas to catch a flight to the coast for a week with Julie and Paul. Marcus has had chemo 4 days in the last three weeks plus a transfusion which did make his red blood count go up - he looks forward to two weeks without treatment. When we fly back to Vegas we'll rest then head for Flagstaff for a PET scan and short chemo day. We'll rest again at Kelso's Stately Manor before heading for the canyon and a Melodrama written by Bob (of Kelso's Stately Manor) and performed by friends at the community building. Proceeds to go to - you guessed it - the Fuhrman family.
In closing, we appreciate all that friends, family, and even strangers are doing for us. Thanks to you, I can stay home with Marcus. Mandy is working as a bartender at the Bright Angel Lodge at the Grand Canyon and is staying at the "other" Kelso Stately Manor. We're glad she is getting a life and is still close by.
Every day remains a gift, Peggy and Marcus
Since the last update we've had visits from Marcus' sister, Emily, Steve (her husband), and our nephew, Lars, plus my sister, Mary and her husband Mike came for a week leaving this past Wednesday. We treasure the time spent with them and goodbyes were difficult and quiet. Our friend, Judi, comes this weekend and Peter, Marcus' brother from France, arrives for a short visit Monday. He'll take us to Las Vegas to catch a flight to the coast for a week with Julie and Paul. Marcus has had chemo 4 days in the last three weeks plus a transfusion which did make his red blood count go up - he looks forward to two weeks without treatment. When we fly back to Vegas we'll rest then head for Flagstaff for a PET scan and short chemo day. We'll rest again at Kelso's Stately Manor before heading for the canyon and a Melodrama written by Bob (of Kelso's Stately Manor) and performed by friends at the community building. Proceeds to go to - you guessed it - the Fuhrman family.
In closing, we appreciate all that friends, family, and even strangers are doing for us. Thanks to you, I can stay home with Marcus. Mandy is working as a bartender at the Bright Angel Lodge at the Grand Canyon and is staying at the "other" Kelso Stately Manor. We're glad she is getting a life and is still close by.
Every day remains a gift, Peggy and Marcus
Thursday, March 20, 2008
last of the benefits
dark, dark, dark outside,fire is glowing and comfy. cat is somewhere underfoot, an occasional brush by and quiet meow letting me know he's important and worthy of notice. i think we're all that way a little, being around and making noise to be noticed and attended to. i know i am, and i have beeen noticed lately.
last week we had our 2nd and 3rd benefits. thursday last, i walked into page middle school cafeteria and found the room half full of families and friends either gathering or serving large plates of spagetti, garlic bread, heaps of salad and desert and beverages. so much food, so many friends, so much attention being paid to Peggy and me. Peggy, Mandy and I arrived with two of my brothers, Kurt and Charlie who were equally amazed to watch the line of page people continue to fill the room and their plates with yummy dinners. even the servers and helpers and volunteers must have been surprized as they smiled and struggled to keep up with hot food for hundreds. Fantstic night, I wandered about the room and tables, visitng and sharing memories with dozens of parents and former students and staff showing off my latest hair style (none) and accepting best wishes and hopes for better health. it's funny but just being at the fundraiser and sharing the caring made me physcially feel better, and recharged my batteries. thanks to so many: robin, roxie, paul and his spagetti bowl crew, jk, paula, and shelly, teona with kaysee and the dessert department, ticket takers, lake view and high school folks, even real pros - kitchen gals1, the invisible helpers in the back kitchen and all who made the evening both possible and a success. i love you each and all and the food was delicious.
We spent the next day getting ready and traveling to the canyon to meet more family and friends for party #3. What a party it was. went by the community building early to check out the room and holymoly, ligths being strung around the room, tables set and decorated with linen and st. patrick's day deco, a long line of tables holding donated goodies, more tables of donations in the big room, tables of desert, acres of salad and dozens of pizzas being delivered, chips and salsa along with adult beverages and drinks for kids like me. Best of all was the band, Exit 64, setting up on stage. great music gear and a Light show. Julie and Paul arrived from flight from Cali. on friday night and Wes and Alena, arrived after marathon drive from Minn. sat. afternoon. So now we are 4 siblings and all 3 of our loving kids; Mandy, with Nicci and kendra (SB girls) never would miss a party like this.
Impressive.
Whoa, i just glanced up and i see the brightest red glowing sunrise above Navajo Mountain to the east of our house, a wide flat vermillion layer of ocean clouds covers all the eastern sky, from overhead to the horizon. I feel like I want to climb into those clouds suck in their warmth and traverse the world with them for the rest of the day, they look so inviting. I can see my body streched out and relaxed as the wind that shapes their beauty. as I covered the globe I'd cry out wake up world, time to warm up and watch beauty greet your morning. Then I'd fall back onto the cloud bed,close my eyes, breath deeply and sleep like a forgotten sunrise, ignorant of my cancer and the pains, tensions, medications, chemos, doctors, and hundreds of other details that have become a part of our lives. See, I'd have Peggy there beside me as wel
l.
Impressive. back to party at the canyon- got there and met hundreds of frieds. some we've knnow for dozens of years. i can only begin to mention a few ringleaders: Terry the video master, dan and eddie the ticket masters, bob and laura who can and do anything, kay and ted b, tommy t, shelly, madman, and gracie, sheila and guy, dave the food guy and his xanterra gang, kevin, judy queen of deserts, pete and becky with cayla, beth, eric and sue, greens-room at squire used - and the Phillps did a house swap with the Fuhrmans; them in San Luis Obispo area.
Thank you all the special guests like old and new neighbors - old being booths and new being caorl a. So many other special guests like lori and scott, keith and nancy, bob s, wendy, stacy,nora, mike,jackie,sissy and tom, chuck, and on and on and on......
so food and drink was served, people danced, i danced, raffle was held, i spoke, i cried, danced some more with precious peggy-oh, and visited, talked and gabbed with hundreds of friends who care about us. what a night. Highlight? tooo mannnnnnny. one being the first "sunrise" song. i laughed and cried when wes picked up a guitar and played some of my fav. notes in the blues world. We stayed late, danced too hard with family and friends, and laughed till we ran out of breath and energy. was A party. thanks to all who gave us such a great time.
love and laughter, marcus
last week we had our 2nd and 3rd benefits. thursday last, i walked into page middle school cafeteria and found the room half full of families and friends either gathering or serving large plates of spagetti, garlic bread, heaps of salad and desert and beverages. so much food, so many friends, so much attention being paid to Peggy and me. Peggy, Mandy and I arrived with two of my brothers, Kurt and Charlie who were equally amazed to watch the line of page people continue to fill the room and their plates with yummy dinners. even the servers and helpers and volunteers must have been surprized as they smiled and struggled to keep up with hot food for hundreds. Fantstic night, I wandered about the room and tables, visitng and sharing memories with dozens of parents and former students and staff showing off my latest hair style (none) and accepting best wishes and hopes for better health. it's funny but just being at the fundraiser and sharing the caring made me physcially feel better, and recharged my batteries. thanks to so many: robin, roxie, paul and his spagetti bowl crew, jk, paula, and shelly, teona with kaysee and the dessert department, ticket takers, lake view and high school folks, even real pros - kitchen gals1, the invisible helpers in the back kitchen and all who made the evening both possible and a success. i love you each and all and the food was delicious.
We spent the next day getting ready and traveling to the canyon to meet more family and friends for party #3. What a party it was. went by the community building early to check out the room and holymoly, ligths being strung around the room, tables set and decorated with linen and st. patrick's day deco, a long line of tables holding donated goodies, more tables of donations in the big room, tables of desert, acres of salad and dozens of pizzas being delivered, chips and salsa along with adult beverages and drinks for kids like me. Best of all was the band, Exit 64, setting up on stage. great music gear and a Light show. Julie and Paul arrived from flight from Cali. on friday night and Wes and Alena, arrived after marathon drive from Minn. sat. afternoon. So now we are 4 siblings and all 3 of our loving kids; Mandy, with Nicci and kendra (SB girls) never would miss a party like this.
Impressive.
Whoa, i just glanced up and i see the brightest red glowing sunrise above Navajo Mountain to the east of our house, a wide flat vermillion layer of ocean clouds covers all the eastern sky, from overhead to the horizon. I feel like I want to climb into those clouds suck in their warmth and traverse the world with them for the rest of the day, they look so inviting. I can see my body streched out and relaxed as the wind that shapes their beauty. as I covered the globe I'd cry out wake up world, time to warm up and watch beauty greet your morning. Then I'd fall back onto the cloud bed,close my eyes, breath deeply and sleep like a forgotten sunrise, ignorant of my cancer and the pains, tensions, medications, chemos, doctors, and hundreds of other details that have become a part of our lives. See, I'd have Peggy there beside me as wel
l.
Impressive. back to party at the canyon- got there and met hundreds of frieds. some we've knnow for dozens of years. i can only begin to mention a few ringleaders: Terry the video master, dan and eddie the ticket masters, bob and laura who can and do anything, kay and ted b, tommy t, shelly, madman, and gracie, sheila and guy, dave the food guy and his xanterra gang, kevin, judy queen of deserts, pete and becky with cayla, beth, eric and sue, greens-room at squire used - and the Phillps did a house swap with the Fuhrmans; them in San Luis Obispo area.
Thank you all the special guests like old and new neighbors - old being booths and new being caorl a. So many other special guests like lori and scott, keith and nancy, bob s, wendy, stacy,nora, mike,jackie,sissy and tom, chuck, and on and on and on......
so food and drink was served, people danced, i danced, raffle was held, i spoke, i cried, danced some more with precious peggy-oh, and visited, talked and gabbed with hundreds of friends who care about us. what a night. Highlight? tooo mannnnnnny. one being the first "sunrise" song. i laughed and cried when wes picked up a guitar and played some of my fav. notes in the blues world. We stayed late, danced too hard with family and friends, and laughed till we ran out of breath and energy. was A party. thanks to all who gave us such a great time.
love and laughter, marcus
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