Chadwick Boseman, 1977-2020. Rest in Peace. Wakanda Forever

Ten Thursday Thoughts

1. We are well into month FIVE of quarantine. Well, by this time, pseudo-quarantine.  I don't know what to call it. All I know is that I am just numb right now. Numb is the only word I can use to describe how I feel. And I'm all tapped out when it comes to work. I really need a lab to get experiments done, but it is just not worth me going in. For once in my life, I just need to put myself and my well being before my job. And let the chips fall where they may with management.

2. I had a doctor's appointment today. This completely unnerves me, as every time I touch something, I douse my hands in hand sanitizer.

3. My doctor's appointment was at 9:00 am. I didn't go to bed until 3:30 am. Ugh. And doctor is 30 miles away. That is, like, a very long road trip for me.

4. I did have an incredibly quiet and peaceful shopping experience at the Eagles Landing (far south metro Atlanta Suburb) this morning. People had on masks and were social distancing and the store was not at all crowded. That's the way I like it.

5. I have gained Covid weight, but all my bloodwork is very good. I am no longer anemic. Cholesterol and blood pressure are within normal levels. All my electrolyte, vitamin, mineral levels are within range, kidneys are great. So that is good. I suppose. Gonna be thankful anyhow.

6. "Your legs are skinny," my doctor said.
    "But I've gained weight!" I screeched.
    "That is because you are not moving," she explained. "You need to move. Join a gym."
    "I am not running up in no gym right now. No way. Found some youtube videos, though."
    "Good for you," she said.

And that's all I can do right now. And hope for the best.

7. If I listen to terrestrial radio in the car, I like to listen to an Old school station. I heard some good songs on my 60 mile round trip to my doctor's office. Some Kool and the Gang, Earth Wind and Fire, and the like. The problem is that it took me back to days when I was little and my Mother and I would be listening to music in the car and singing along...

8. I got all teary-eyed at those memories. So I guess I have to just plug in my Spotify playlist and listen to that until I feel better about it all.

9. And with that said, look what comes up on my timeline: Forever More by Enchantment.



10. Prayers for Texas and Louisiana right now.

How in the world does one deal with a pandemic, racial injustice AND a hurricane during this time? I just don't know.

Praying ALL of this craziness will just be over soon enough.

Those are my 10 Thoughts. On a Thursday.

Wordless Wednesday: Giving Thanks for Condolences Arrangements

Two at a Time?

So I have been barely paying much attention to the news. I think I am just tired of all the vitriol, and I want some peace.

But it has been raining every single day in Atlanta. I don't understand it. EVERY day, usually in the afternoon.

So I thought it was about time to watch the news. Maybe one of the meteorologists could explain what the world was going on!

Why is it that I turned on the TV and saw this?

TWO HURRICANES?

Luckily I have YouTubeTV, so I could just rewind it back.

YES! TWO at a TIME.

What the world?

2020 is something else...

First corona... then racism... then TWO HURRICANES.

Ugh.

I haven't seent such a thing. Have you?

One at a time is bad. Everybody have to brace themselves, evacuate, or whatever else needs to be done. Thank goodness for innovative weather technology, Doppler radars, and all that so we can see everything and get advanced warning.

But what do you do with TWO hurricanes spinning up at the same time??

I mean, look at this craziness!!



Hurricane Marco and Hurricane Laura.

Wow.

These don't seem like they will be TOO bad, i.e. they are not of Hurricane Katrina proportions.

But imagine if there were two category 5 hurricanes about to hit at the same time.

OH MY!!

And such a thing would not surprise me if it happened during the Great Pandemic of 2020.

Not at all.

But of course, memes run roughshod all through the Facebook and Twitter streets.

This is the best and funniest I have found:

There is no satisfying explanation for all the rain falling in Atlanta, save for them resulting right now from the outer bands of Marco or Laura. It has been raining everyday for what feels like months, so that is only a partial explanation.

But this is a high class problem for me, i.e., I can just open an umbrella and go on about my business.

It is a harsh reality for those in the path of the hurricanes.

I pray everyone is safe from harm and that all will be well.

Me complaining about a little rain is a small thing in the midst of it all.

Rest in Peace to my Mother, Carolyn Releford

I briefly mentioned in a couple of posts over the past two weeks that my mother was on life support.

She was removed from life support last night, and passed away shortly there after.

I wasn't there, due to covid concerns. My sister Kay and brother Kari were there with her holding her hand as she passed. I asked if I could come down and just sit in the parking lot. They said no, too many folks around, and they wanted to keep me safe.

I did go down last Thursday night. I don't think I wrote about it, not sure. But our mother was the only patient in the hospice at the time, and we were the only family there. So I visited with her for about three hours (from 10 pm -1 am). We prayed over her and anointed her head with oil. It was good to see and touch my sister, as I haven't since mid-March. My mother has been unresponsive for two weeks (basically in a coma), so her ventilator was doing the breathing for her.

I do not really know how to feel right now. There have been a few tears over the past couple of weeks, but really, just a lot of thinking. I posted a memorium on Facebook that conveys my feelings as of late. I have reposted here, along with some photos.


Rest in Peace, Mother
Carolyn Releford, April 24, 1948 - August 18, 2020.

My mother Carolyn Releford passed away today at the age of 72 after a long illness. She never fully recovered from a bypass surgery she had in late 2018. She and I have always had a complex relationship, but we managed as best we could over the years. It hurt to see her in so much pain over this past year and a half, and though I am sad that she is gone, I am relieved that she is in pain no more. She'd been on life support for the past two weeks, and I found myself praying for her throughout the day. But as of late, what has been endearing was my noticing some of my little habits - making a to-do list every single morning, stacking dishes before I wash them, the way I iron my clothes, the way I sort my laundry, the way I wash my collards, or snap my beans- and pausing for a moment and saying softly to myself in the quiet of the day, "Ma taught me how to do this." I may shed a few tears, or just sit in quiet respect of those passing moments. I am learning to cherish such memories, and they have somehow afforded much peace and comfort.

Rest in peace, Ma. I pray you are with God and in the arms of your ancestors, those you have loved, lost, and missed for so long. Thank you for doing the best you could with me and my brother Kari Releford and my sister Kay Releford. I think we turned out pretty good.

Love, Alesia
But as you have always called me "Lee" and "Lisa".


I wrote that last night, about five hours after she passed. I did not know what I wanted to post, but I just thought about some of my thoughts over the last few weeks and wrote that.


I know I will miss her. No, we didn't get along well at times, but that never negates the good times.


I am just thankful she is not in pain anymore. It was terrible to watch her moan in pain... and not being able to do anything for her, but just try to make her comfortable.

Here are some pictures for you to enjoy. They brought back great memories for me and my siblings.

Ma, probably at some party she was attending.

Ma visiting with her grandsons, circa 2008, in Seattle Washington.

 Ma and Milk and Cookies, 2005? Milk and Cookies was part of a biking crew, and they were at a restaurant with his crew in Seattle.

Ma, and my Father, in 1967 or thereabouts.

 Ma and Justin a few days after he was born in August 2017. We were sitting in the Emory NIC unit taking turns holding him.

 Ma and my Auntie, her sister, in 2012, after the funeral of their cousin.

 Me and Ma, circa 1976, taking pictures at Auntie's house. She was serious, and as you can see, I was not.

 A picture at auntie's house. This is one of the few pictures with all of us. This had to be around 1993-1994.

 Ma and Milk and Cookies. He had a layover in Atlanta, and we all ran down to the airport to see him, if only for a half hour, before his flight home to Seattle.

Ma and her boyfriend Mack. They had been together for 7 years.

I enjoyed going through my phone and finding old pictures. They brought back so many memories.

Rest in peace, Ma. No more pain. That is all we can ask and hope for for you.

Rest in peace.