This Bucket was physically & emotionally "Rugged" from start to finish. Mom chose the Grand Canyon b/c tho' she had traveled the world; she had not experienced her own BIG country!
"Experience" she did! In 5-days over Thanksgiving; we JEEPed the cliff areas of the Sedona's sacred Red Rocks & HIKEd the vortex's of Cathedral/Bell Peaks & the Grand Canyon... Thanksgiving Day we gave gratitude for our co-existence in HOT AIR BALLOONs over Arizona's mountains & valleys. We traded in Mules for HELICOPTERs to explore the Canyon & 4-legs for 4-wheeled ATVs to taste & feel the desert!
In short, "Super Susie" led her tribe of family & friends to the limit in Arizona! We weren't kidding when we said, "Mom's Bucket List is going to kill us!" By the end, we were exhausted & grateful that the weather wasn't warmer! If it were, we'd have White Water Rafted the #4's/5's down the Colorado River! There's no stopping her!!
But alas, this Bucket was not all about accomplishing the geography of aeons of sacred history of evolved Humanity... It was about coming to terms w/ the Humanity w/in ourselves & our family. Sedona is one of the World's most sacred places - a place where God & Demons battle. From the start, our family was presented w/ emotional swirling roller-coaster upheavals that challenged the "Spirit of the Buckets"... (Inspired surprise attendance by John Weadock, daily prayers by Christian artisan/owners of the B&B that accommodated us, blocked Shaman gatherings, family mis-understandings) created fertile ground for painful circumstances pitting mother vs daughter, son vs situations, sibling vs sibling, business vs money... All w/ the venom & power to undo the love & good fortune that prior Buckets had created.
As this Bucket began to splinter us as "Family", we became more aware that we had a choice... 1) continue our behavior as individual Survivors enduring curses of generational family angst or 2) ask God to break the hex & bring us back to the love we found in The Buckets... put our will in His Hands & know He has a better Place for us... Hard to do...
As we looked at each other, we saw ourselves... the bully, the protector, the follower, the comedian, the baby, the athlete, the student, the owner, the borrower, the parent, the victim, the warrior, the caretaker, the Leader... The power of One; able to change a family.
We are all of the above. We realized we had a choice as to who we were going to be each day in this Bucket... & each of us chose to be one of Super Susie's Family, give it up, get over it & let LOVE take all.
This Bucket Process "Takes a Village". The Sedona Grand Canyon Bucket would not have been had it not been for
* John/Chris - who broke their oath to never travel by air to teach us how to over-come adversity w/attitude & ingenuity
* Tom - for shepherding all 15 of us thru the daily logistics of Bucket activities! Not easy meeting needs & timeframes! Where's that whistle?
* Mike - for "being there" the Unsung Hero, helping when/where ever possible. Our Rock.
* Kyle - for sacrificing salary to be on our Bucket March. We are so glad u "got well quickly" & missed u rooting in the Raven's win last nite
* Deirdre - our "Girls Flight Out" would not have been the same w/o you! Grandy so adores her moments w/you!
* Paul - for driving Miss Susie on the ATV! She said the best part of that adventure was "hugging my Paul for 3 hours"!
* Shannon - for watching after Grandy on Grand Canyon day
* Lissette - who had no idea what she was getting into when she joined John's care-taking team for this Bucket.
* the Dempsy's - what a treasure your family is! Thank u for leaving Tucson to join our 2 families! We witnessed John's joyful anticipation of your visit but we didn't expect OUR delight in time spent w/you! You are so in our prayers!
* Eric - you added humor, validation, care-taking & camaraderie to our family mix. Mom's parting words to me were, "tell Eric, I'd love to see him again, before I "Kick the Bucket'!
* Howard - thank u for spending your holiday w/ so much 'family'! Your ideas inspired most of the activities in this Sedona Bucket! Without you, we'd be on a Mule following some ass down a trail in the Canyon! & that's not sexual!
* Lisa - Thank you so much for your sensitivity of us in the highlands & your support to get everyone down to the Phoenix Valley? &
* Mom/Grandy/Super Susie - without whom we wouldn't exist & whose Love of Life has impassioned us all!!
In this #4 Bucket; Susie came, We saw... God Conquered!
Carpe Diem everyone!
Louise (Ouisie)
PS: Dec 1st is 5 months since Mom's diagnosis of inoperable stomach cancer. Tho' Mom believes she will be w/ us for our Baltimore X-mas Bucket... She's not sure if she'll make any others :(
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Dear Susie,
ReplyDeleteAs I read the emails about your bucket adventures for some reason I picture you with a big and smile on your face. I say to myself wow what a strong willed and determined woman. It's amazing the impact you have made on your family and friends. Because of YOU they have all learned to value each other by loving and spending more time with one another.
I know that you are having a great time spending time with your loved ones and those wonderful memories you leave behind will only keep them bonding closer together. Memories live forever and so will you forever in their hearts.
I wish you the BEST Christmas ever.
Regards,
Ivonne