Tuesday, September 24, 2013

#358 Aloha Judy

I happened to see a friend at the gym today.  She played at a local high school and was a senior when I was a sophomore.  We run into each other now and then.  I don't remember how it came up (I don't remember much these days) but she said that she had been a women's basketball graduate assistant for one year at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  Then she mentioned a former Hawaii player that had recently died, Judy Mosley

Judy fought breast cancer for three years and died at age 45. She leaves behind a husband, who my friend (also named Judy) said is devastated, and four children age six to around 13 (?) 

My memory has been going downhill lately, but I do remember Judy.  Tall and lanky, like me, she was my teammate on the 1991 World University Games team.  She was really nice and had a great smile.  And she had really long arms that could grab lots of rebounds (it's funny the things you do remember).  She was one who stuck out as being a really good player, a hard worker and a really nice person. 

I have had many teammates on various teams over the years.  I hear about some of them now and then.  I do keep in touch with others.  It's a big world and we all get busy.  Maybe I will get busy and try and track some of them down. 

Ke Akua pu a hui hou, my friend. 




Tuesday, September 10, 2013

#357 My Bike Story

Check out my bike story on Bicycle Garage Indy's blog site.  If you like it, click Like.  The person with the most likes gets a $100 gift card.  You can also enter your own bike story if you have one.

Thanks! 

#356 Flight of the Hummingbird

I have written about hummingbirds before (Post No. 103).  Last night I walked to my backyard vegetable garden and saw my hummingbird buddy perched on my feeder.  I hadn’t seen many this summer.  Last week I changed out my colored hummingbird liquid mix with plain old sugar water and now I have three or four buzzing around. 

I froze in my tracks when I spotted him and stood there for several minutes.  He sat very still, finally drinking the water.  I continued on my way to the garden picking cherry tomatoes, green peppers and banana peppers. 

On my way back to the house I sat on a step on my deck and watched the show.  They are so small, delicate and quick.  They made me jump a couple times as they buzzed by my head, sounding like a drone from a Star Wars movie.  I sat there for maybe 10 minutes just watching them and enjoying the warm night. 

I found this small paragraph somewhere and cut it out.  It now lives on my refrigerator.

Legends say that hummingbirds float free of time, carrying our hopes for love, joy and celebration.  The hummingbird’s delicate grace reminds us that life is rich, beauty is everywhere, every personal connection has meaning and that laughter is life’s sweetest creation. 

Life is short.  People sometimes fly in and out of your life as quickly as a hummingbird.  Take time to enjoy even the tiniest of moments and remember that no matter how long someone buzzes around you, they can still bring a smile to your face long after they are gone.