Happy Birthday Valerie..!!!
I've tried a dozen times or more to write the daily summary but each time it has been an epic failure... I don't want to write all hearts and sappy... Life isn't alway easy or peachy... Especially being in your early 20's and havin' 4 hungry kids lookin' up at you... We didn't have any money, but we were never poor... We found a way and we got by.

Modern life can wear you down... It did for Valerie and me too... For years, I worked days, Valerie worked nights... We'd only see each other in occasional rumbles & tumbles in the night... (wink)... hehe... Our lives took us onto very different paths and we eventually we separated and got divorced... Sometimes relationships end, but the love beneath it never fades... In fact, it often intensifies... The part that used to really weird other people out, was that Valerie and I remained best friends... The love we had for each other never ended, it was just the circumstances we had to deal with to make it through... It took 45 seconds to drive from my house to hers.

Don't get me wrong, we were definitely not 'do-ggoders'... We were just young kids in 'survival mode' tryin' to make it through the storm... Valerie could turn a few hot-dogs and a bunch of potatoes (ba-day-das) into a feast... She was magic in that way... And we'd feed an army of kids almost every night too.

Years passed... I met Marian who is a total spazmatic... hehe... (in the best possible way) Valerie once whispered/told me, she's the right one for you... Val and Marian were good friends... They'd go to church together... Valerie became the 'Mom' to the neighborhood... Sheeska, I'd go over there in the morning and every square inch of the living room floor was occupied with kids... They didn't feel right callin' us 'Mom and Dad' so they labeled us Ma-Dowd and Pa-Dowd...

It's hard to write when the screen is blurred from the tears streamin' from your eyes... Of all the guys... Valerie chose me... As much as I miss her, I also know we can be that same force or inspiration she was for others... Amazing how those kids that used to sleep on our floor have grown into ones that make the difference in the lives of others too...Every now and then ya see 'em on the news and think 'that was the kid that spilled the jelly all over the floor'... hehe... ' So Proud... I am sure Valerie is lookin' down and cheerin' for us.

Val had a bump/lump in her arm-pit that she ignored... By the time she had it checked out, it was stage 4 cancer... I'd take her to her chemo treatments and we'd talk for hours... (It's a Dowd thing)... hehe... Strange that I now have the same 'bump/lump' too... But the doctors are keepin' a real close eye on it... I wish she would have had that checked sooner.

Don't expect any of this to make sense... "The Blues ain't nuthin' but a good man feelin' sad" and we all have our times...

That's it for now... I'll talk to you guys later...

Keep the Faith... Better Days and Higher Love are comin' soon...

daniel "whelland" dowd

The daily horoscope for Pisces reminds you of the power and influence you have over others... While you will have to take certain 'leaps of faith' in the near future, this is a chart that shows that you need to rely upon your own inner-voice and intuition... The vibe is easy-goin' and fun-lovin'.

...Show some Love...