 My husband donated life by willing his beautiful body
to the Weill Cornell Medical College's Program in Gross Anatomy and Body Visualization. Dominic DeFilippo understood the necessity and importance of hands on experience. He's coming home this week. Well... his ashes are finally coming home after better than two long years. Although the wait for my husband's remains has been a long one, and though some of his family members were seriously opposed to the fulfillment of Dominic's final wishes to the point where they ostracized me, I have absolutely no regrets. In fact, I'm very proud of my sweetheart for being so insightful, unselfish and generous. I intend to make similar arrangements for myself. In the USA, there are approximately 100,000 people waiting and hoping for various organs and tissues. About 2,000 of these are children... and there were only 14,144 people who donated themselves in 2011. More than 46,000 corneas were transplanted last year and more than one million tissue transplants were successfully performed. If you'd like to know more about the DONATE LIFE program in the USA or Weill Cornell Medical College, please read their 2012 article entitled "Top Ten Things You Should Know About Organ Donation", by clicking on the highlighted names you see here. That will directly link you to their websites.
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 John Lennon was SHOT IN THE BACK FOUR TIMES on December 8 th., 1980.
His killer, Mark David Chapman, will have a parole hearing this week at the Wende Correctional Facility in Alden, NY. This twisted coward has been held at the Attica Correctional Facility for 31 years after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. Chapman was sentenced to 20 years to life for his disregard of the sanctity of life. This will be his seventh parole hearing. Yoko Ono, John's widow, submitted a letter to the parole division wherein she stated that Chapman continues to pose a risk to herself, Lennon's two sons, the public and himself. Chapman's hope for parole has caused personal reflection on the influence John Lennon had on my life and what should become of the murderer who cut that influence short. Eleven weeks before the Beatles arrival to the USA, President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated. The entire US population was deeply saddened, shocked and depressed about the loss. These four beautiful young men played simple, up beat, loving music that proliferated hope and repaired the pain. Beatlemania was born. On August 15 th., 1965 the Beatles played a live concert at Shea Stadium in Queens which was filled to capacity with 55,600 people. My father couldn't get tickets for my sister, a girlfriend and me, so he drove us to the Shea parking lot where we could at least listen if not see. The deafening exuberant holler of the crowd was nothing like I had ever heard before or since. I could barely make out a few notes of their songs through the insane roar of the multitude within. My father smiled and covered his ears and said we should leave. That's when I heard John Lennon's voice shout above the racket, "HEY ! HEY! HEY ! WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU ALL ???" The crowd fell quiet immediately and John's voice announced, "IF YOU DON'T STOP THE SHRIEKING, WE WON'T BE ABLE TO PLAY FOR YOU. WE CAN'T EVEN HEAR OURSELVES OR EACH OTHER. OKAY ?" The crowd murmured in confusion. The Beatles started up a new song, but the audience was overly energized and the screams became more thunderous than before. We tolerated the noise for awhile and realized hearing anything of value was hopeless. We drove home with heavy hearted disappointment. In time, I owned every Album the Beatles made and learned every song by heart. As I sang along, I daydreamed about good times to come and pondered about the injustices that people unwittingly inflicted upon each other. Yeah, John Lennon had a very positive effect on my life. One of John's lyrics is, "...and in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make." I hope that tune is played in Chapman's cell over and over and over again until the day God takes him.  It was the perfect day for the Callicoon Farmer's Market in NY, which is open from 11:00 A.M. til 2:00 P.M. every Sunday until November 25 th. These gorgeous locally grown peaches were decadently delicious. They dripped with juice and filled the summer day with a heavenly scent. Callicoon is a tiny historic town located on the bank of the Delaware River, surrounded by the rolling lush green Catskill Mountains. It was first settled by the Dutch in the 1600's who named it "Kollikoonkill", which means "wild turkey creek". The area remains abundant with wildlife, although the Elk are gone and the Mountain Cats are rare to see. There still are black bear, wolves, coyotes, fox, deer, eagle, wild turkey, racoons, opossum, rabbits and who knows, maybe even Big Foot... or was the beast I once saw just a Local... perhaps playing pranks ? I suppose that's why I keep the camera handy. This time I snapped a few pictures at the Callicoon Farmer's Market to give you a tour of some things that were offered. SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THE SLIDESHOW There were a ton of different kinds of Tomatoes, including Heirlooms and yellow and orange Cherries. By the way, if you've never had the Yellow Cherry Tomatoes, you really must try them ! They're as sweet as candy. Indigenous and prolific in this region, they are the tomatoes local American Indians harvested several hundred years ago before settlers brought in other varieties. The Market also had beautiful fresh cut flowers from ARK FLORALS of Mt. Vision, NY, owned and run by a very knowledgeable Meg Kennedy and her family, at super reasonable prices. Bill and Barbara Walsh displayed their handcrafted Cherry and Pine crafts. I especially loved their cheese spreaders and boards, which would make a very fine hostess gift. Visit their online store at wwbc.etsy.com and see what other goodies they have in my slideshow below. Other Vendors included Bakers, Goat Soap Makers, Local Honey, Local Maple Syrup, Fresh Lamb meats, knit Lamb's wool products, fresh Jellies, Jams, Condiments, Fresh Herbs and the like. Not part of the Farmer's Market, but associated with one of the many Callicoon shops a few steps away, I came across Pam Sloan of RUSH SEATS,{ rushseats@yahoo.com }, who was busily working on an antique chair. She beautifully repairs with caning, rush or upholstery. If you'd like a list of all the vendors, visit www.sullivancountyfarmersmarkets.org  On this gorgeous August day, the lily pads that have frustrated my friend's lake, are glowing with life.
The patches of water vibrantly reflect the blue sky, reminiscent of a Monet painting. Like a healing balm, they exude a deep inner state of quietness within, bringing to mind a favorite quote that more deeply penetrates the soul: "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27 When I allow these words to fill my mind, tension and worry leave and a powerful sense of healing spreads over me. May it do the same for you and fill our world with the greatest peace of all. |
 Undine DeFilippo
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