Six months ago, Maddy would not even get on the beam!

Into your hands

Brown, Michael Edward, 44, died peacefully at home on May 16, 2008, after a brave battle with ALS.

Beloved husband of 24 years of Susan Denise Brown; dearest father of Heather Marie & Christopher Michael Brown; beloved son of Judith & the late Charles Brown; dear brother and best friend of Robert (Christi) Brown, cherished brother of Kimberly (Doug) Tindall; dear grandson of Margaret Brown; dear brother-in-law, son-in-law, uncle, nephew, cousin & friend.

Michael, you will be loved and missed always. As he requested, Michael donated his body to Washington University for ALS research.




Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant Michael. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming. Receive him into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light. Amen (from the Book of Common Prayer)

The following are the words I wrote to Michael just weeks before his death.

Michael

Somehow, you were always there.
And we knew she loved you.

You were so deeply in her heart that when
She went away to college, she would not stay that far away from you.

You were there the rainy night of the car accident,
And we went to the emergency room together.

You were there when we moved away and left her behind.

You loved her, married her, gave her the children that you both love so much.

You cared for her when she battled what was then unknown,
Her bi-polar disease, and together you came through that crisis.

And you supported all her efforts as she studied to become a nurse, and a very good one at that.

You have loved and cherished her well, and that love has been returned.

Now, together, as you battle another enemy, we admire and salute you for your bravery and courage. It is an inspiration to those around you, and we love you both more than ever.

We are proud to have you as a son-in-law.
You could not have been a better one.

You are precious to God; you are precious to me;
And you are loved very much.

It has been a journey of love, Michael.

You were there, and I know that, for Susan, you will always be there.

Maddy catches a fish

Do we really need another fisherman (woman) in this family?
Like a typical woman, however, she refuses to take it off the hook.

Grace as Amelia Earhart

We will be willing to let her fly, but hope she has a good navigator! She looks like she is ready to go, though! And we love the haircut!

Now we have some gurgling water on our hillside

This is the basis for our little fountain that we hope will grow to be a little waterfall rushing along over rocks and down the hill to a little pond. (We dream big). One step at a time. I gave up my tennis game today in order to pursue this project. If you look closely you can see the water in the photo.

Maddy tries out for the gymnastics team

We are not quite sure whether she knew she was "trying out", nor do we know what the consequences are of her being selected, but, she was selected. We are not quite ready to head to Beijing to watch her perform.

HGTV, Where are you!

"Landscaper's Challenge" on HGTV has nothing on us. We truly have the real Landscaper's challenge right here on our Shenandaoh mountain-side.


The daffodil bulbs that I planted along about January did manage to grow and bloom, and quite nicely, I admit.

But I have to tell you that, after the exercise I put Hugh through this weekend, he actually was GLAD to be leaving here to go back to Woodbridge! We planted this arborvitae, Cleveland Pear, an azalea, and a Heavenly bamboo here in our true rock garden by the garage. It looks so lovely that, except for the fact that we can hardly move, we have forgotten about all the pick-axing and shoveling, and lugging topsoil, and spreading mulch, that we had to do.



And we put another arborvitae in front of the house, hoping that in a few years it will hide the mechanical features of the house!


Then, we put in the frame and did the best we could to build some nice soil for our vegetable garden! This project will eventually require a fence to keep the animals from consuming the results of our labors. But we hope to have fresh tomatoes this summer, and maybe some squash and peppers. The most amazing thing is that Hugh and are still speaking to each other after working together on a project all weekend. (I do wish I had had the camera nearby when he backed down a slope with a wheelbarrow full of dirt and rocks from a hole we had dug, and ran into the tree we were going to plant there, and ended up sprawled in a heap. Luckily, the tree we were about to plant broke his fall, or he might have rolled right on down the side of the mountain).

Masterworks Chorus Sings

Masterworks Chorus is the chorus I sing with now. Here are two YouTube clips from our "Celtic Circle" concert in March.

Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ye

Oh, My Luv's Like a Red, Red Rose

Springtime in Wisconsin

Lynn wanted us all to know that, while we are enjoying our blooming daffodils, she wonders if she will ever see the ground again. But what a beautiful blue sky!

Fredericksburg does St. Patrick's Day up green

Some photos from January and February 2008

King Kaspar shows Amahl the contents of his BOX.


This is really the only snowstorm we have this winter; it was very pretty, but did not bother us much!

Maddy turned four, and Pat made a beautiful princess cake for all the princesses (and one prince, I think) who came to celebrate

Grace and Elizabeth always seem to be out partying!

A photo post to bring you up-to-date on some of the grand-kids

Here's one of my handsome grandsons (Eric in Neenah, Wisconsin)

Michael and Susan and Lou Gehrig's disease

As is very obvious here, we have hardly made any posts to this blog since we moved into the new house early in June of 2007. And most everyone knows that it was in June, 2007, that my son-in-law, Michael Brown, was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease. We were all so shocked and devastated that I just could not find the words, or the heart, to post anything about it here on the blog. But life has gone on during that time. Susan is taking care of him full time; his disease has already been through most of its stages, and progressed very rapidly, and he is under the care of hospice now. They are attempting to make the most of the days they still have together; it has to be the most difficult thing to go through, and they struggle with it every day. Michael is fed with a feeding tube, and breathes with a ventilator through a tracheotomy, and the only motion he has is his eyes, which makes communication very difficult. But right now they are enjoying the beginning of Spring, and are planning to have Easter dinner for the family at their house. Please keep them all in your prayers.

Here is my favorite photo of Susan and Mike in happier times: