HEAVENLY COFFEE...

Have you had a perfect cup of coffee lately?

Well, lucky for the readers of Ageless with Aunty (and no one loved coffee more than Aunty) we are proud to present HO, HO, Joe! From Beanstock Coffee! This is the perfect Holiday Coffee. It’s so good it deserves a Halo. It’s so good I bought two bags! It’s so good I have three friends coming over for more at four…

And as I drink a cup while I write this I can’t help but think maybe Angels really are involved in the roasting! This coffee is THAT good. Impress yourself, your friends, and your neighbors. Leave a cup out for Santa if you are really hoping for that special gift. HO HO Joe’s is irresistible. This is a top-shelf blend of the best beans money can buy. It's roasted up with vanilla, hazelnut and chestnut with“a warm cinnamon background.” It’s a pure delight to drink. I love cupping it in my hands and just taking a deep breath into the mug. The aroma alone is sublime.

 

Beanstock’s HO, HO, Joe has become my December/Holiday Drink. I plan parties around it, gifts, and it even brings to mind Christmas’s past. I sip to the wonderful warm memories of watching Aunty enjoy it. At the beginning of every Christmas season as we indulged in our first cup I loved to hear her cheerfully declare…. “This is good coffee.”

Enjoy some with sticky buns, black, with a dash of milk, or from a hot thermos on a cold day. I am in love with this stuff.

Please treat yourself or a fellow coffee lover today. A perfect cup of coffee is a simple yet profoundly enjoyable experience. And Beanstock makes it a refined one.

Tell them Aunty sent you…and you might find an angel in your cup.

HO, HO, Joe! www.beanstockcoffee.com. 

 

 

A GOOD DAY...

Today I am grateful for EVERYTHING!

including the men in my life

Even though I am grateful for the myriad of blessings in my life, today, Thanksgiving 2012 I am particularly grateful for the wise and compassionate men in my life.

Here is my friend Ming (above)with the highly respected Benedictine Monk, Brother David Steindl-Rast. Ming posed here with the revered Brother David immediately after Brother David stepped off the stage with none other than His Holiness THE Dalia Lama.

Brother David Steindl-Rast is an extraordinary man. His voice (like my Ming’s) is soothing and loving. He is wise and full of compassion and grace. The best gift that I can give anyone today is PLEASE TAKE A FEW MINUTES TODAY AND WATCH THIS YOU TUBE CLIP CALLED “A GOOD DAY” WITH BROTHER DAVID.. A Good Day (simply click those blue words)

"A Good Day" is the greatest thing I have seen on the Internet. Your heart and mind will be overflowing with JOY and Thanks! Brother David also has an exceptional site called Gratefulness. www.gratefulness.org. Living a life in gratitude is one sure way to improve the quality of our own lives. Being in a state of gratitude brings our blood pressure down and our spirits up. It may even help the karma of the planet.

Ming is the kind of man who said to me shortly after we met  “What movie would Aunty like to see?” What beach can we bring Aunty to? Even though some friends were saying that it might be hard to find a man who will understand and accept of my devotion to Aunty, Ming not only accepted it but told me he loved me because of my unwavering love and devotion to Aunty! Ming, Aunty, and I shared some lovely times together. He was there with me the night Aunty passed. I am so grateful for everything that he continues to do for me including reading all my blog posts, embracing my friends and family, and even helping me clean my house! Let’s face it, most men would rather watch TV or do their own thing. But, Ming is always ready to help. I am very grateful today for all that he has done for me. He  helped me prepare my home for my tea party last Sunday honoring Aunty’s one year anniversary. Tears stream down my face as I write this with utter gratitude and appreciation for all the kindness Ming has shown me, my friends, and my family. If anyone deserves to be standing this close to Brother David it certainly is My Ming.

As it turns out when you focus on what you are grateful for, more and more things come into your life to be grateful for!  Therefore, I would like to add…The brothers and priests of St. Benedict Abbey in Still River Massachusetts and the Wise Larry Rosenberg of CIMC in Cambridge. When I think about it there are many amazing men in my life to be thankful for today and every day. There is my profoundly wonderful and Saint-like friend and fellow writer Roland Merullo. There is my BFF’s hubby Mike. And Dee’s hubby who is like a mini-mentor, and my friends Brian, Stu, Ron, and Greg.  I could go on and on ….and I will in silent prayer and meditation.

Make every day a TRUE THANKSGIVING… just go to www.gratefulness.org

 

FOREVER AND A DAY...

Glamorous Aunty circa 1960

please note the elegant feathery sleeves

 

Remembering Aunty…

Today is the one year anniversary of the death of my beloved, precious, and cherished Aunty. Most of you know that Aunty inspired this blog (still does) and that she was truly the epitome of selfless humility, love and humor. She is missed dearly by all who knew her. I am glad to say that I have found ways (too many to mention here) to keep “in relationship” with her and to keep her extraordinary spirit even more alive than it already is, and was always destined to be. She smiles on me. She smiles on all who remember her.

Best Pals

 I will leave you with a few of her favorite words.

I love you

I forgive you

Thank you

Where’s my coffee?

Everything is wonderful.

 

In keeping with my promise to her I will continue to do great things in her name through God. I plan to write a book about her. Those who know Aunty assure me it will be a bonafide best-seller. I am developing a product infused with her inherent goodness. My ultimate dream is to start a Foundation to honor her life and legacy of selfless love. Like Aunty it will surely help many in need.

One of the loving rituals I have done every single night since Aunty passed (and even shortly before) is to light a candle in her honor. She continues to glow with goodness in death just as she has in life. She will be with me forever and a day. Like our love She is eternal. Her passing has not separated us. Miraculously we are as close as ever! As she wishes.

 

Aunty Helen ….Born March 7, 1924 and, surrounded by Angels she eased beautifully into infinity on November 18^th 2011 as I held her in my arms.

Aunty, as you assured me over and over, I say back to you…

“You are my heart.”

“Forever & ever and ever….Amen.”

shortly after Aunty's passing I found this heart embedded into the earth

in a place Aunty and I used to frequent!

 

SEND A MONKEY TO COLLEGE & BUY A PIE

Send this little guy to college 

 

One sure way to feel good is by being helpful and kind to others. And of course to give whenever we can. There are certainly many worthy causes. The list is endless. I am sure many of you have some of your favorites. I have two new charities for you to consider. Don’t go away this is really cool…

 

Helping Hands Monkey Helpers actually trains these adorable capuchin monkey’s (see above)to help the disabled. The little creatures go to a special monkey college in Boston and once they are fully trained they are placed with a deserving disabled recipient from all over the country to assist them. The monkeys provide daily, in-home assistance to people living with spinal cord injury or other mobility impairments. Some of the tasks these fully trained monkey helpers can do is turn off the lights, open doors, and turn the pages of magazines! It’s utterly amazing and heartwarming to witness. You can only imagine the vast positive impact the monkeys have on those recipients who do not have use of their hands. Go to the site and see for yourself. Monkey Helpers for the Disabled is truly a worthwhile charity to consider  www.monkeyhelpers.org.

 

 

 

They can always use volunteers and donations. And, according to Boston Socialite Doris Jaffe, Monkey Helpers Annual Fundraiser “is the best kept secret in Boston.” She’s right! Here I am on the scene (as a volunteer)  doing what Aunty taught me…..…helping others. It feels so good. And, what a way to live up to the name of this blog while keeping Aunty’s legacy of service alive. For the record Aunty loved the Monkey Helper Events....and naturally the little creatures too.

 

 

Another way to help those in need is with Pie in the Sky.

 

This is the perfect Thanksgiving Fundraiser. While we all plan our Plentiful Turkey Day or should I say Feast, and Banquet others are not so fortunate. My good friend Jo Jo is selling pies for the cause. Pie in the Sky provides meals and nutrition to the critically ill and homebound in Massachusetts. They love to say: You are the Secret Ingredient! How lovely is that. These delicious pies are made by the top chefs in Boston. This is an easy cause to contribute to: you are going to buy or make one anyway why not just order online and pick it up right at your local supermarket! If you decide to order the pie, go to: www.pieinthesky.org and click  “I want to buy a pie!” link.

 

2. pick you pie flavor (apple, pecan, sweet potato, pumpkin)or donate the pie.

3. choose method of payment

4. choose location you want to pick it up (over 200).

5. pat yourself on the back because you fed someone for a week.   Total time: 2 minutes.

 

Pie seller:  Joanne Keaveney or  #3915 (it will ask ).

 

Deadline: November 14^th.

 

 

Thank you so much for your goodwill. When you have much it doesn’t hurt to give a little away. It will always come back to you. There is good karma in giving.

 

 

LOVE & CLIMATE CHANGE

Aunty and Uncle D on their 50th Wedding Anniversary

 November 1, 1992

 

Today, November 1, 2012 would have been the 70th wedding anniversary for my late Aunty and Uncle D. They were married on All Saint's Day 1942!

 

One of the greatest nights of my life was the surprise party that we gave them for their fiftieth anniversay. It took over a year to plan and was worth all the time and money.

 

If you are considering throwing a party for someone you love...I encourage you to take the plunge. If someone you love deserves a party....go out and make it happen. And always trust your instincts. I knew my Uncle would appreciate it if his long time neighbors were there. Some of the others weren't convinced. I pleaded and plotted until the "people on our street" made the list. My Uncle would later say how much it meant to "Turn around and see Carol-Anne, Rico, and Sammy there!"

 

 

Twenty years later I still feel enormous pride and joy when I think of how happy my humble aunt and uncle were when they walked into the room and stood before a standing ovation of love. Aunty and Uncle D were always smiling but this night they were actually beaming with bliss!

 

It's fitting that they were married on The Feast of the Saints. One definition of a Saint is: One who lets the light of God shine through them...

 

Having these two people by my side for most of my life has made me the luckiest person in the world. Their love was so strong and lasting that even now, I have so much of it that I can share some with YOU and still have an abundance left. My hope is that you will share this LOVE that I send along with what you already have inside and go out and bestow it on someone you love.

 

Little by little we can light up the world....Eternally....

And making the world a little lighter might even be good for climate change!

Aunty and Uncle D helped save my life with their love...now they might even save yours.