An Update
My younger son called me on Saturday to tell me his stepmother had died quite suddenly. She was in her eighties but, except for her declining eyesight from macular degeneration, she was in pretty good health. Apparently she died from a heart attack. He was very upset over this because he was very fond of her. I think he was 8 when his father married her. Since he is now now 31, he has known her a long time. He and his girlfriend were driving to MS that evening. I don’t know how long they will be there. He told me where the viewing was being held and I sent flowers.
I met her once before the wedding and occasionally after. I liked her a lot because she was very good to my kid. I remember once right after they were married she asked if we could meet for lunch. It turned out she wanted to ask me how I dealt with the kid whenever he misbehaved. She was quick to assure me that he wasn’t a bad kid, just a normal boy! She said she didn’t want to being saying all the time, "Wait until your father gets home!"
Before they married, J. would call her "Ms Thelma" and when he heard they were going to get married, he was quite worried about what to call her. He asked me and I told him the best thing to do was to ask her what she wanted him to call her. My only request was that he couldn’t call her by my name, which was {and still is} Mom! He only had one mother and I was that person! He did ask her and she said if he was comfortable calling her Ms Thelma, then that is what he should use. Gradually as he got older, he called her Thelma and that worked well too.
I know my ex will miss her. As my son said, she was very good for him.
Weatherwise, it has been chilly and rainy for far too long and we have more of that due tomorrow. I need to make the effort to get out and walk even if it is raining a bit. I have done absolutely nothing useful today. Mostly I have been checking out and downloading free books. I didn’t download everything I found but I did swoop up Josephine Tey’s books because I really like them. I cannot download them straight to the Kindle. But I did download them to my desktop and, using a free program called Stanza, opened and saved them as an .azw file that a Kindle can read. I have a folder on my desktop called "Books" and that is where they went.
Next, I plugged up the Kindle 2 to the computer. I was a bit worried about this because several people on the Kindle forums had said that their computers had a lot of problems seeing the Kindle, but that, I decided, was because of Vista. I use a Mac and after I had plugged it in, the Mac found it and my Kindle appeared on my desktop as a drive cleverly called "Kindle!" I then dragged and dropped the files I wanted to transfer from the "Book" folder into the "documents" folder on the Kindle. Then I closed the down the Kindle on the desktop, opened the Kindle device in my hand, went to my home page, and there were the two books I had transferred waiting for me to reread them. 
I started on Brat Ferrar immediately. Now I am sure it all works well, I will transfer more books tomorrow. I must remember that if I delete these, they are gone forever, or at least until I put them back manually on the Kindle! When I delete anything I have bought from Amazon it is , as they say, archived and can be downloaded back from Amazon on to the Kindle easily using Whispernet.
"You are not happy because you are well. You are well because you are
happy. You are not depressed because trouble has come to you, but
trouble has come to you because you are depressed. You can change
your thoughts and feelings, and then the outer things will come to
correspond, and indeed there is no other way of working."
Emmet Fox
"Enjoyment is not a goal; it is a feeling that accompanies important ongoing activity."
Paul Goodman
It’s nice when the “other mom” in a kid’s life has the courtesy to converse with his “real mom” and try to be on the same page. I’m sure it made it easier for your boys to make the transition. I’m sure they’ll miss her.
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Such a nice story of a stepmother caring, and the mother being gracious too. Lucky son.
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How very sad for your son and his family! Mrs. Thelma sounds like she was a true lady. Wasn’t Brat Ferrer made into a movie or television miniseries?
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I’m sorry for the loss of your sons stepmother. You always hear the bad rep stepmothers get, glad to see that he had a good one. And I have to look into getting some free books and then transfer them. Thank you for posting the program you’re using! RYN: Paint is the biggest thing. I’m also thinking of changing my picture frames to ONE color instead of what I felt at the time would be good. I don’t know where all of this is suddenly coming from… I never cared about those things. I guess it catches up to all of us sooner or later 🙂
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I love the way that your son’s stepmother and you worked things out between you for the good of your son. It shows what classy women you both are/were. I am sorry for her passing. I love reading about your Kindle. I am hoping that since I have a new job, I can buy myself one soon!
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I’m glad that you son thought so highly of his step mom. I know that can be hard. Sending my sympathies to him. hugs,M
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Kindle Kool.
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I’m sorry your son lost someone important to him. It’s wonderful that you have only good things to say about her.
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I was thinking how generous both you and Ms Thelma were in seeking the best for a harmonious relationship for everyone really. Your acceptance of her, her openess to you. If ever I am in that position, I so hope I will be mature enough to behave well. Then I read Pat’s note: classy women. Yeah. What a wonderful way to put it. You can be proud I think – I find it lovely that you have sent flowers.Sorry for the loss though – particularly for your son.
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It’s great that you managed to get on well with your ex husband’s new wife. I can understand you not wanting your son to call him “mum” though as I would be the same.
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Ms. Thelma was a very good-hearted and good-intentioned person, to meet with you and ask advice on how to deal with your son. I’m glad she showed you so much respect and him so much love. We had a day of pouring rain yesterday, but I think it’s supposed to be clear and semi-sunny today. I don’t know that I’ve been doing a whole lot that’s useful….but I sure have been DOING a lot, nonetheless! I hope you get some warmer and dryer weather soon!!!! I would like some more warmth ’round here, too! hugs, Nicky
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One of the truest measure of a person is how they treat kids. I’m glad your sons had a stepmother worth her salt…and I’m sorry for their loss. It’s never easy. I agree with you on the Mom title. It’s one that I won’t relinquish either. I earned it, and it’s mine! Loves to you! ~M
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That was nice of the step mom to sit down with you before hand. I think if that happened more often ex’s would get along better. I just love hearing about the Kindle. The more I hear the more I want one. My husband is really set on our next computer being a Mac. He said there are much less problems with them. I fear the new set up. But change is good. Happy spring.
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It was a sad few days for everyone, but we all survived it. I hope J reads this post… I know how much he will appreciate it. The flowers you sent were beautiful; we actually brougth them home with us so I can press some.
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You both sound so mature. Peter Pan’s Tinkerbelle only wants to tell me what a terrible mother I am and how I should be doing things. It came as a shock at first. I would have been able to deal with the relationship that you describe. I am so getting a Kindle when I retire.
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So sad for you son, I’m sorry for the loss.
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Can you put Project Gutenberg books onto the kindle? If so, then you could have enough free reading matter to keep you busy for years on end! My sympathies to your son and his family… (huggles)
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I’m going to have to upgrade my computer this year. Microsoft is putting windows XP users pretty much out to pasture. I’m seriously considering a Mac this time around… It is so awesome how you can navigate in the computer world!! I’m sorry for your son’s loss. She sounds to have been a wonderful person…. Hope it warms up soon for you….Happy Easter
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I also have a KINDLE. I am trying to limit the books I buy. Where else do you get books besides Amazon? Thanx
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I have only used Amazon so far. I need to investigate some other sites for e-books. Can you recommend any good ones?
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RYN: I am going to do that. I don’t have time to go to every store in the land and I’m sure it will work, too.:)
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It sounds as if you had an unusually good relationship with your ex’s second wife, and that’s a tribute to both of you.
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RYN: haha! No worries. The anticipation is half the fun. I appreciate that you always think of me so much, it really doesn’t matter when they get here. Cliche, but it really is the thought that matters 🙂
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ryn: Very good advice. I don’t make use of private entries as often as I should. 🙂
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Haven’t seen you in awhile adn I hope you are doing well…spending your time on the Kindle 🙂
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