Holiday Memories of My Big Brother: Christmas

When I think of you this Christmas

I remember sledding on big hills

Trying to keep up with you and the other big kids

Ice cycles, colored lights gleaming 

A circle on the ice made up for ice skating

You were so much better than me

I recall you taught me one winter and 

I felt like a ballerina on ice, and somehow I forgot

The next winter, so I trotted behind you as usual

I'll never forget the play hut you and the others made

Of snow which turned to ice so we could

Climb in and out and slide, behind you 

My face lit up for all you were capable of

Most of all you will stay frozen in my mind

Each Christmas,

Watching you glide around the ice in a perfect circle

Under the starry night through our big picture window

Then retreating into the house for hot chocolate 

Where I had beat you by at least an hour, 

You were always ahead of me by miles

This Christmas, even miles longer,

Hoping to one day come behind you and live up

To the big brother you were to me, forever, my hero

Holiday Memories of My Big Brother, Halloween

This day, completely unwritten
Has somehow filled the pages in my mind
Colors surround me and give treat
To my hungry soul
I take a slice of autumn pie
With traces of pumpkins
Dying leaves and Halloween trees
I dream of a time they were
A thousand times more magical
When life was simple
With pillow cases filled with candy bars
And a big brother with wide eyes
Gloating at his pillow case size
Hay rides, full moon, witches in the sky
All mix together in the pages of my mind

In memory of my brother Jim,
Who will always live in the pages of my mind

Your Smile



You left me with a smile
When you took your flight
She entered my heart
As she walked in my sight

She is much like you
She is much like me
I am now blessed and
You are now free

Did you know how
Much I've needed her?
How much I've needed you?
Though we can't go back brother but
Please know, I will always love you

I am sad you left us,
You will always be missed
Thank you for your smile
With Love, your Sis

Jim: Our Rocket Man

She packed my bags last night pre-flight 
Zero hour nine a.m. 
And I'm gonna be high as a kite by then 
I miss the earth so much I miss my wife 
It's lonely out in space 
On such a timeless flight 
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/e/elton+john/rocket+man_10099416.html ] 
And I think it's gonna be a long long time 
Till touch down brings me round again to find 
I'm not the man they think I am at home 
Oh no no no I'm a rocket man 
Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone 

Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids 
In fact it's cold as hell 
And there's no one there to raise them if you did 
And all this science I don't understand 
It's just my job five days a week 
A rocket man, a rocket man 

Sweet Child O' Mine

She's got a smile it seems to me
Reminds me of childhood memories
Where everything
Was as fresh as the bright blue sky
Now and then when I see her face
She takes me away to that special place
And if I'd stare too long
I'd probably break down and cry

Oh, oh, oh
Sweet child o' mine
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Sweet love of mine


She's got eyes of the bluest skies
As if they thought of rain
I hate to look into those eyes
And see an ounce of pain
Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place
Where as a child I'd hide
And pray for the thunder
And the rain
To quietly pass me by

Oh, oh, oh
Sweet child o' mine
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Sweet love of mine

Oh, oh, oh, oh
Sweet child o' mine
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Sweet love of mine

Oh, oh, oh, oh
Sweet child o' mine
Oh,
Sweet love of mine

Where do we go?
Where do we go now?
Where do we go?
Oh, oh
Where do we go?

Oh,
Where do we go now?
No, no, no, no, no, no
Sweet child,
Sweet child of mine.

The Day God Spoke To Me

Dear Brother

There is a voice inside me 

Reminding me you're gone 

I just can't believe I won't sit with you 

Around a bomb fire again and see you smile,

Or see that look you always gave me, 

You know the one when you're telling me I'm crazy!  

I can't see you or touch you or hug you but

I take you with me throughout my day

When I do something silly I hear you say, "Good call, sis!" 

When I stand up for myself, I feel you pat me on my back, 

Actually, you're closer than ever now, 

I can hug you any time and you hug me back

I don't know when this voice will leave me or if it ever will

But I do know with time and your love, I will surely heal 

Love,

Sis

I Can Feel it Coming in The Air Tonight

That song played -

I heard it's meaning
And then I heard what it meant to you -
I felt it in your eyes,
In your intense searching -
When you cranked it up and
Begged me to be silent and listen

You see, I was there too and
I saw what it did to you and
Felt what it did to me -
Creating in me
A yearning to grow up and
Confront the evil
That I still, once in a while,
See in his eyes

That song played
The other night and I remember
The ironic conclusion
That song meant to you
and him...
Because you both played it for me
Loud and intense
Giving me the motion now
To crank it up
Feel it
And wonder
And still confront
The evil

"I can feel it coming in
the air tonight"

James Daryl Loomis April 17, 1972 - July 17, 2012

My brother understood the life of a hero

He stood in the gap, he held the shield

Protecting all whom he loved

He was my big brother, my protector

He grew up, met Angie and became hers

They began a family together

He stood up, pulled his boots up

And did what he had to do

When the economy took a down turn

He loaded his family up and headed out west

His words were, "I have to support my family"

He was brilliant in his career

He encouraged Angie to go to school,

He wanted to share with his wife

The joy and pride of achievement

He was proud of his family,

His face lit up when they were around,

Angie, Kaitlyn, Travis, Tyler made his soul smile

He told our mother he would always take care

Of her when she retired from nursing

He helped our brother Joe and
My husband Tony in their careers 

He made my father proud of the hero he had become

He told me he'd always have my back

He was the greatest friend anyone could ever have

He understood the sacrifice of Jesus Christ

Who said, "The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep"

A hero often has turmoil in his soul,

Caught between saving the world and 

Protecting the ones he loves from his dangerous life

His life reflected a hero flying through the sky like a shooting star

I believe Jim couldn't live with himself any longer knowing

The hero he had become was falling into the night

He left us with a trace of his light shining bright 

We stand in awe as we watched our hero fall

James Daryl Loomis, we want to let you know

You will FOREVER be our hero!

Betty Boop!

She made everyone laugh,
She had style, she had class
After her last birthday of ninety-six
She declined rather quick
I'll never forget the night
She asked me if I'd miss her
I responded, "I'll never, ever, forget you!"
Didn't she know she'd forever be
Our Betty Boop!


I never did give her a proper goodbye
So I've been hanging on to her words that night
Several months had passed 
When she came to me in my dream
She cracked a big smile
As her eyes shined a usual gleam
She never did know my name
Though her eyes lit up just the same
She stood up, walked over to me
And squeezed my cheeks
She gave me a big kiss and said I've been missed
I no longer hang on to her words that night
For I know now her soul still shines bright
One day, we will meet again,
Betty Boop, my eternal friend!

Fearless in the Face of Death

I entered her room 
With a swallow and a tear
After hearing the news;
The end of her life is near
The last few moments
To spend with my friend
Wanting to tell her 
She's been heaven sent
She taught me to laugh
At the little things in life
She brought me a smile
On my darkest nights
She was diagnosed legally blind
Before I knew her
Each day I'd enter her room
She guessed who I was
When she guessed my name right,
She won
When she guessed my name wrong,
I won
I'll especially not forget
Our "Who's that girl" game
For when she heard me laugh
She always knew my name

I expected a sad meeting that day
Though when I woke her,
She was just the same
She giggled and said, 
"Am I here yet another day?" 
She went on to say
"Oh well, I guess I have no 
jurisdiction on the matter!"
Then she chuckled
As I broke into laughter

She's a funny gale, this one
She left me thinking of all our fun
I have no doubt she was heaven sent
As she taught me to laugh 
In the face of death!

The Old Reverend

The old Reverend
Was down in the dumps today
He wanted to take his life away
I asked him why he felt so blue
Not only was he tired and worn,
He had heard bad news
His money was gone except
For his social security and pension
Like anyone, this stage of his life
Has come with most apprehension
So I took a moment to remind him who he was
I said, "Now money isn't everything! Isn't that right, Reverend?"
You have a roof over your head, your taken care of and fed
What more could you possibly need?
The old Reverend replied, 
"You, my darling, to remind me of these very things!"  

Humbled By A 102 Year Old Lady

I've been humbled today
A sweet old lady told me to never give up 
As I walked her down the hall
She was angry at herself
For not trying hard enough
She mentioned a woman at 100 years
In better health than her
Funny how at 102 she would be jealous
I told her she was a fighter
She responded, "What am I going to do, give up?"


I grew up a chubby girl and grew into an obese woman of 36
My ankles, my feet, my knees, my back and my hip, 
All limp along this 102 year old lady
I couldn't help to think of the pain I felt
I told her I'd never make it that long
I'd be in a wheel chair, doped up on pain meds
She humbled me and said, 
"What are you going to do, give up and lay in bed?"  

"1-2-3 Don't Drop Me!"

“1-2-3, don’t drop me!”
I’ve heard her say this before
Though not in so many words.
At 101,
Her words are unpredictable
And sometimes not at all
I’ve watched her eyes place a glare my way
Without words she says what she wants to say
She is wise enough to see through my soul,
She tells me I’m hurried, to let time go

When I returned,
I sat next to her and listened patiently
She spoke freely to me
Telling me exactly what her eyes had said before
Though I think she’s forgotten
For she told me
I’m not like the others who rush for the door

She said young people today
Are not interested in history
For if they were
They would listen to her
She recalled a time
When our earth was “loose and free.”
Then I couldn’t stop thinking of her “1-2-3.”
I see the busy world and the busy girls
And I wonder if she’s afraid
We just might drop her
Into our new and busy world

Conversations With a Retired Social Worker

Remembering Simpler Times

She spends much of her time
Gazing out the window to her balcony
Put together with beautiful flowers
And invitations for small animals

She remembers her youth
When life was simple
When hours were spent
Basking in gardens and waiting patiently
For tiny animals to come to her delight
Her eyes light up as she tells me her story
And we both smile

I enjoy listening because
I, too knew a time like that
I, too, have memories of lying on my back
Gazing up at the sun with
Weeds and butterflies to cradle my soul

We have both seen the world
Trample down our simpler days, 
And we both long for a way
To make a change

Saving The World

She holds onto a belief
She can somehow change the world
As she has spent her life making
Improvements in other’s lives
Her heart pounds through her cheeks
When she tells me her story

She told me the moment she
First desired to save the world
When her family moved to
Pamana City after WWII began
She saw children starving
In one area yet a mass amount of gold in another
She wanted to tell the ones with the gold to sell it
And feed the poor little children
And her little soul thought it was just that simple

Holding onto ideas of saving the world
Make an impression on me
And I believe she knows full well
I am young enough to save the world