PATHways Newsletter.pub - NAMI

August/September 2010 NAMI Queens/Nassau PATHways Page 10
What’s It All About, Alfie?
By LARRY KENNY, 2nd Vice President
It is 7:45a.m. Sunday, Father’s Day, and I am driving east on Southern
State Parkway to the cemetery to place a single rose on the graves of my
father and father-in-law, both of whom passed on too young. It is an absolutely
beautiful day, sunny with a bright blue sky and a slight wind. The
convertible is moving effortlessly at 60mph, the top is down and the roar
of the wind feels good.
Both my father and Mary’s father passed on before our son, Chris, developed
his severe mental illness. They were not here to see our daughter,
Judy, get married, have two beautiful daughters, and develop severe Lymes
disease. I often wonder what advice they would have given us.
Nothing in my education and training prepared me to be the ongoing
father that I must be. I just do the best that I can, but I do ask, “Why me?”
There is no definite answer. It is life; you meet the challenge head on;
you don’t complain; you just do your best.
What’s it all about, Alfie? Only God knows, and I wish he would let me
know his game plan for my children.
This article began in my mind as I was driving to the cemetery and I
wanted to dismiss it from my mind, but it would not go away. This article
is an expression of compassion and concern for those who suffer from
chronic illness.
In conclusion, my deeply religious neighbor said this in regard to Judy
and Christopher’s illnesses, “You and Mary will go straight to heaven
when you pass on for all that you are doing.” My answer to this was thank
you, but I don’t want to go straight to heaven; I want to stop in at least six
Irish bars on the way.
What’s it all about, Alife?
It’s all about people belonging to each other. It’s all about love and
compassion. It’s all about life.
To Janet Susin:
Thank you for putting my “talks” into the newsletter.
Since then, I gave two additional talks at one location in Jamaica at
PSCH and at (what was Schneider Children’s Hospital) Cohen’s Children’s
Hospital—to their inpatient medical social workers. Both of
these were about NAMI Queens/Nassau.
I also attended one of three sessions of Camp Isabella Friedman
with mentally ill adults and held a session with both patients and staff
about NAMI and how camp originated through NAMI Queens/Nassau.
From,
Rosalie Weiner
Support Group Leader
NAMI Queens/Nassau gratefully
acknowledges the following
donations:
Jerry & Florence Fox in memory of Lizzie Parker
Rena & Steven Klosk in memory of Judy Shapiro
Newdorf
Lorraine & Eli Kaplan in memory of Glenn Roberts
Lorraine & Eli Kaplan in memory of Kitty Kulesza
Nancy Goldfarb in memory of Christina Kulesza
Lorraine & Eli in memory of Lawrence Newdorf’s
mother
Lorraine & Eli Kaplan in memory of Florence Fox’s
niece Judy
Rosalie Weiner in memory of Karen Schwartzman
Arnold & Pearl Gould in memory of Jerome Kaleko
In memory of Lawrence Weinstein:
Rosalie Weiner; Patricia Gmerek; Doris Brill; Pat
Rella; Eleanor & Mike Gosset; Magdalena
Relyea
In honor of Heide & Tony Magosi’s 50th Anniversary
Elke & Arthur Plaggemeier; Elfriede Sepssey; Annemarie
Seeliger; Mr. & Mrs. Friedrich Klaar;
Cathy Johnson; Mary Lou & Jack Wohlhieter
General Donations:
Andrew Ojeda; Franz Loderer; Elissa Silverman
The Friendship Network gratefully
acknowledges the following
donations:
Sondra Cohen in memory of Hilda Dubinsky
Joan & Stuart Kaufman in honor of Zachary Goldstein’s
Bar Mitzvah
Buddy Cohen & Barbara Garner in honor of Zach
Goldstein’s Bar Mitzvah
Alice & Nancy with get well wishes to Al Chwick
Esther Cohen in memory of Bryna Tandertnick’s
daughter, Judy
Alice & nancy in memory of Andrew Chwick’s
mother
Alice & Nancy in memory of Mary Lenihan’s
mother
Julie Rubinstein Bronder in honor of the Friendship
Newtork