JustaKrusen/ Mrsjustakrusen

There was an incredible man I worked with when I was in my late teens through mid 20s. His name was Bob. We worked at a place called Best Photo in Liverpool NY, and Bob was the sunshine that filled our work environment every day. 

Bob was a special man, whistled, always happy about life, and he used to call me “Windy Cindy”, I figured it was because I really worked fast at the various jobs we did during the day, and not because I talked fast. 

Bob was around 43 when I met him and this man meant so much to us all. He lived about 12 miles away , down in Syracuse, in an apartment building that was extremely tall. He would take the city bus from his apartment , transfer in the center of Syracuse, and get left off at a stop that was probably 3/4 to 1 mile from our building. 

This all sounds normal, but it was far from normal, as Bob was blind. 

He used an “eye stick” to make that journey every single day. And he always came in with a smile and a greeting for all who were in the area of the door. He worked processing film in our dark rooms, so for him it was perfectly normal, as he lived in the dark all the time. 

I remember how thrilled he was when we all collected money together so that he could get a seeing eye dog. He loved that dog, Niki. He would walk proudly in with Niki and we had an area where Niki was on a fairly long leash, water, and had a bed and could watch all our activities.

Bob was so funny, he had a quick line for anything. We had some square beams in the floor that supported the roof, if he drifted a tad of course he would sometimes brush his arm against one, and say ” Good morning Emily” ( a play on words for “Emily Post”

He had jokes, yet worked so hard and loved every minute of it.

I had gone to his apartment a few times, just to see if he needed anything, help cleaning or an errand run, and it was amazing to see how he made it through each day.

Imagine going through every day what he did, boarding buses , asking drivers if their bus was the one he needed, he was such a blessing.

I thought of his last evening, only to find an obituary from 2020. I always wondered how he made it after our plant closed in the mid 1980s.

Now I know, and the obituary looks just like Bob, even though it is so many years now since I saw him last.

RIP Bob, and thank you for sharing your will and determination to fight life against all odds. You laughed at the bumps, you really were a special man. You made a lifetime impression on me,

Until later, Mrs Justa alias CIndy

Life is unpredictable, it is challenging at times, it is easy to forget that life is not infinite. I sometimes look at our grandkids and realize how much life is in my rearview mirror. We had the three kids here a few weeks ago for the weekend, I loved every single second of it. This past Year and a half has been such a weird time, with a pandemic, no one seeing anyone, having to do air hugs, doing more on line ordering, grocery pick up when possible, and not spending time with those who mean so much to me.

Mark and I have spent countless hours talking, playing Yahtzee, doing games on our phone where we challenge one another, and spending time home. I wont say we are being paranoid, I kinda look at it as being cautious. Neither of us are physically fit and young, both things that make us a better risk for getting pretty sick if we were to get the virus.

Well the weekend with the kids was a treat. Briella , Brandon and Preston are all very wonderful kids, unique in their own ways, yet they are so close to one another too. The boys love doing games with Grandpa and Briella and I tend to do stuff together . And there are times we all do stuff together.

Briella loves to help me out and it is funny how she tells me she will take care of me if I ever need help. She has a laugh that will make everyone laugh, she has dreams of the future and all that could lie ahead. She wants to always look her best, She loves warm bathes, and time to sit and talk.

This picture reminds me of her reaching to me to offer help. She is so full of smiles, life, and she has a good heart. She truly cares about others.

Brandon and Preston are both very caring kids too. Brandon being the oldest is kinda watching the other kids all the time to make sure they are behaving. He, Preston and Grandpa will play Yahtzee, Sorry, Trouble or some made up game. Listening to them laughing and enjoying each other is enough to warm the heart on a cold winter day.

Preston has a unique ability to find humor in things and some of the things he says can’t help but make us all laugh. He is witty and quick witted. He can entertain himself for hours, but loves the interaction with others. He is good at teaching things , and extremely creative. He has a mind that is always thinking and analyzing. He asks questions that can sometimes be surprising for his age, he is very affected by the world around him. He tries to keep life balanced. He loves to help out and his wanting to do things right really shows when he is working on a task. And has a great idea on when he needs to just have some down time.

Brandon is the more serious, compassionate type, and very sincere. He truly cares how he comes across. He loves life and is very quick at picking up different new things. He analyzes and has a detective type of ability. He listens and absorbs the world around him. He wants to help with projects we have going, and being a tad older he is more and more able to do more grownup type things, like he loves to mow and he snow blows for his family. He has a deep compassion for animals and for doing the right thing.

I look at time with them each as a blessing. And even though we have not shared as much time together as we used to, each time we do it is like no time was in between.

As the world turns and time seems to fly by, pandemic continuing in one way or another, I am truly thankful for what we have, and every night I thank God for the gifts life brings. I know there is heart ache and pain in this world, and when those times happen, I know God is there to carry us through. I also know that life gives us few guarantees, and we can’t plan the future to be the way it comes out, so knowing that no matter when lies ahead, that there are people who know I love them and I know love me, well I can’t think of anything better.

Until later, Mrs. Justa.