Memory or Two

Here is a picture of Cornelius and James when they met overseas during World War II. Cornelius was standing in a 'chow' line when his brother arrived and spotted him; you know the reunion was very special.

AAH, my coffee is really good this morning, first cup and I can now open the other eye. I had an egg Mac Muffin this morning, haven't fixed one of those in a very long time but when one is given a gift of ham slices, sweet and succulent, then one does put it together with a little Colby cheese and an egg . . . voila! Heaven in a round English muffin. If you were close by, I'd fix you one; a good thing though as I'd probably fix a second one and then I would have had more than my share of food for breakfast.


The Marine Corps seal brought back a few memories, which it always does. I dated U.S. Marines way back in the 1940's and married one. They had a special arrogance, confidence, with outside bravado and inside sensitivity. My husband had three brothers also in the Marine Corps, well two in the corps itself and one in the Merchant Marines. John, the oldest, was the Merchant Marine and put himself through college through the mails so to speak. He was a smart one, a good brain and a quiet man until he had a drink or two and then became a comedian creating a lot of laughter in his wake. James was the next one in line and he was my sister-in-law Eileen's favorite with his ability to make words flow. He turned out to be a very good husband and father and not shy about telling a tale or two. He was a guard at the base in R.I. and one stormy night he picked up a hitchhiker in a rain storm. He told us that as they were riding along he felt a hand on the family jewels and he stopped the car fast, the light went on and there he was in full uniform with a gun at his side so you know the interloper moved quickly out of the car and was last seen with his feet flying off the pavement in his haste to get away. Jim, as we called him had many tales and when I was expecting our first child he would stop by and remind me that he carried a fishing knife and twine in his car in case I needed help in a hurry.
Cornelius was next in line of the four boys and of course the most handsome, ask anyone and they will agree. He was the camp carpenter and at one point had to build his own jail for taking his platoon out and shooting cows. He went from Corporal to Private in less than a month. He was the one with the beautiful Irish tenor voice and I can still hear the words to a song or two as he serenaded me on a moonlit night . . . remember . . . "Moonlight becomes you" . . . it's no wonder I was smitten!!! Then came Francis, the baby of the four boys, tall, handsome, a bull in a china shop waiting to walk through and everything went out of whack, even an electric outlet on a wall or a cup or plate or glass. He just had the knack of walking around with that little black cloud and no umbrella. A good man. All of 'my' marines are gone today but the memories linger on. I always felt very lucky to be a part of the Sullivan tribe . . . you know I'd do it all over again, look at the five beautiful children I had and today I count my blessings.


So today, if memories come to mind, sit back and enjoy them. We all had our struggles in life and will probably have many more, but think of the good times and some of the special ones and count your blessings. Make today a sunshine day; I have my fingers crossed as I wait to see if the sun will come out and warm up my day. YOU warm up my day with your e-mails and phone calls. How lucky I am to have you in my life. Hugs to all.