This is Week Sixty-One for Tuesday's Truths: Time spent with anyone is fleeting. (Remembering Donna De Solis)

It's the sixty-first week of my Tuesday's Truths series. This week's truth is a reminder that time spent with anyone is fleeting and the post is dedicated to the late Donna De Solis (DD). Her birthday would be today, October 24th, had she not passed away in June of 2015.

The little slide show atop this entry was produced a couple of years ago. It features an array of birds who are spending time together. In the first slide you see Cam, my visiting female cardinal (who is a writer) with her son, Vincenzo. Each photograph in the presentation has been included in Cam's book,  Words In Our Beak Volume One.

In her story, Cam states that "though it’s true that we cardinals feed our young, sometimes I try to give my children a bit of tough love because I want them to have the confidence to be on their own. But I confess that I’m known to give into their begging tactics. While I want my children to be independent, occasionally I do give in when they beg, because time spent with a child is fleeting. I once overheard a conversation between two folks when people-ing, and it is this overheard line which expresses my beliefs: 'I gave into my toddler’s wishes, as I figured it wouldn’t be long before he’d be asking for the car keys . . . time flies,' a woman stated. And as one who flies, I couldn’t agree more. I value my time with Vincenzo, but I still force myself to push him to fend for his own seeds, even though I know that once he’s successful at his endeavor, as he seems to be here, he will leave Mac and I to pursue a life of his own." Cam is correct that time spent with a child is fleeting, but I'll go one step further and say time sent with anyone is fleeting! 

This mini-movie's background music features the song Christmas Auld Lang Syne, being sung by Bobby Darin. I heard the song and Darin's rendition on an annual basis when I attended DD's Christmas parties, including a Christmas party she held in December of 2014.

The song, when sung by him, was one of her favorites. If you want to sing along, these are the lyrics:

"When mistletoe and tinsel glow

Paint a yuletide valentine

Back home I go to those I know

For a Christmas auld lang syne.

And as we gather 'round the tree

Our voices all combine

In sweet accord to thank the Lord

For a Christmas auld lang syne.

When sleigh bells ring and choirs sing

And the children's faces shine

With each new toy we share their joy

With a Christmas auld lang syne.

We sing His praise this day of days

And pray next year this time

We'll all be near to share the cheer

Of a Christmas auld lang syne.

'Merry Christmas everybody and a Happy New Year!'

In sweet accord we thank the Lord

For a Christmas auld lang syne."

Little did I know that at Donna's Christmas party on December 20, 2014, when her guests and I sang the words, "We sing His praise this day of days, And pray next year this time, We'll all be near to share the cheer, Of a Christmas auld lang syne," that Donna would be dead the following June. Her passing is a reminder of Cam's views on the importance of spending time with one's children, and in my view, also on the importance of spending time with anyone near and dear to you.

ADDENDUM FALL 2018: 

The digital versions of Volume One within the Words In Our Beak book series that are mentioned in this entry may only remain available for a limited time, but hardcover versions of Volume One, Two and Three can now be found wherever books are sold. Please click here to go to my blog post that provides details as to where you can get these books.

MY BOOK SERIES

Additionally, I have rendered some images from these books into other formats and they are available via Fine Art America (FAA). Some of my other photographs (Black & White Collection, Kaleidoscopic Images and the famous Mandarin duck who visited NYC) can also be found on my FAA pages.

ADDENDUM SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER 2021:

When the third volume of the hard-cover version of Words In Our Beak was released, I withdrew from promoting my former versions of Words In Our Beak. 

The very first one is an iBook and went into Apple's book store in 2015.

This was followed by an ePub version...

... that is available on Amazon and was also published in 2015.

Subsequently, Words In Our Beak's digital versions were published as a soft-cover book (with slight variations) by MagCloud in 2017.

Its press release can be read by clicking here.  

Now with the release of BIRD TALES (which is in Apple's Bookstore and On Amazon)...

... I've been advised to make mention of my early versions of volume one of Words In Our Beak, they do vary ever so slightly in content from the hard-cover version of volume one.

As of this addendum, I do not intend to create digital or soft-cover versions of Words In Our Beak Volume Two or Words In Our Beak Volume Three.