I need a pensieve (HP!) to sort my thoughts that I've been having lately.

• Been thinking of Mom a lot lately. I remember many years ago, she had told me that she prayed mightily for a long time for me to meet a special friend after I finished high-school. That person came into my life when I needed her and she became my first BFF and later became my SIL! Bonus!
• I had a dream last night that I was texting my Momma (who died 6 years ago.) The same scenario was repeating itself but I would text her differently each time. "Hey Mom, don't worry about a ride. My friend is going to give me one." Or "Hey, just ran into so & so, she's going to take me." Just things like that. Over and over. I woke up from it wondering about it and have come to the conclusion that I have friends here in my new home of AZ and I'm going to be more than just OK. My Mom doesn't have to worry anymore. ;)
• Hero and I happened to come across PBS' 25th Anniversary of Phantom of the Opera and watched it together. I was hit with waves of emotions... not just from the story but also from memories of going with my sisters & Mom. Of singing to the cassette copy that my Aunt Nancy had made for Mom. Remembering how my younger sister hated it when she first heard it. (Do you still?) Standing around the piano with my oldest sister Barbara (who passed away almost 3 years ago) and singing the songs with my Mom and sisters. I miss them. I miss them all so much that my heart aches. I miss all the music that was always going on. You could always count on my sisters to "discover" the newest & best musicals and share them with the family. Yet, how profoundly grateful and filled with joy I am for all of that in my life. How my heart overflows when I hear my children singing and wanting to crowd me on the piano bench to listen to the music or make up silly songs or learn new (to them) musicals. What a gift!
• I love my new home. It has been so much fun to just pick certain pieces here and there to decorate our home. My latest is this turquoise urn. I found it and it was 50% off! Yes! Then as I was looking at it and turning it around, I started giggling. Outloud. I thought, "I found my urn!" Hero kind of laughed about it... but it kind of made him a little crabby too. My Mom had found HER urn on ebay. I thought it was weird at the time but hey. She wanted to be prepared and she wanted something that SHE liked. She had it sitting in front of the fireplace. When she passed, yep - she went in the urn. Hero hates the thought of cremation but that's just what we do in my family. Well, that's not a completely true statement. My parents were for it. I don't know if any extended family were. Anyway. It's just a joke between Hero & I. I want to be cremated. He doesn't want me to be. We have come to the decision that whoever is the last survivor, gets to decide. His sister made the joke that I could go ahead and be cremated and then he can just hold my urn while he's buried. It's all funny to us but if it's not to you - sorry.

See? Mom has been in my thoughts as well as my sisters. Hm.

That's all.