Ya ever notice how life can toss comedy moments into the midst of the heartbreakin' drama that life can be sometimes? This time, it literally tossed me a comic.

So I'm at work yesterday, having just finished putting away a small order of totes full of product, and trying hard to maintain the spirit of the holidays with bells and a Christmas lights necklace on, puttering around the store in my 'right before I leave OCD fix' - going row by row making sure everything is 'just right.'

There's a customer in the store, in many of the rows I'm in - a browser, my mind says, which I pay special attention not to get in the way or block from a key area of things they are looking at to decide which ones to get. I just keep staying a few feet away, hoping my straightening out makes their choices all the easier.

I only see the shoes of this guy meandering about, and I think 'cool shoes.' Sorta sneaker type shoes, but a good, vibrant color. Orange - I think it was orange - all I know is that the shoes and the 'browser' aspect are all that cross my mind at that time.

As I walk to the front to make sure the gums and mints aren't in disarray, I notice the rug guy is there with fresh, dry rugs. There's a lot of melted-snow water near the door, so I yell "Wait, wait, wait - let me dry that with paper towels before the new one gets put down." The rug guy agrees and patiently waits while I run to get the paper towels - but am told by Kenny and James (my coworker who dresses up a lot in old school patriot gear, even though he voted for Obama *groan*), that the mop will soak it up. I know this isn't the case - the mop just pushes the water around, and to get it really dry, the paper towels are the way to go.

But as cool sneaker guy is about done checking out his order, I grab the mop to at least get up some of it. The water just moves around, just as I knew it would - it's about that time that the sneaker guy says something and I think 'man, that voice sounds familiar...'

Then I really look at him. Hmmm... not only does the voice sound familiar, the face does, too. "Be very careful walking out, buddy, there's a litte swamp going on here and it's gonna be risky." I said.

He smiles and says something (I can't remember what) but now I'm positive he really reminds me of somebody I've seen on television.

"You remind me of somebody, the voice and face, that guy that's on Saturday Night Live."

The rug guy says "Yeh, ya know, you're right, he does look like that guy, I know who you mean."

I pause to try to think of the comic's name... "That guy, you know, he's kinda funny and he does pretty good skits... oh, I know! Jimmy Fallon. That's who you look like."

"Yeh, right, that's it! He sure does look like him," says the rug guy.

So Jimmy is there at swamp side, the water in front of the door now all brown and gritty with mop residue, and he says "I am that guy."

I look him right in the eyes and laugh and say (good grief, lol) "What? No you're not! Do you just do this to folks to tease them? You're not Jimmy Fallon!"

"I really am!" he says laughing (by this time, Kenny and James are standing in complete shock behind the counter, and the rug guy is coming over to shake Jimmy's hand.)

"No sa!" I say, and then it hits me - it really is, haha! "Can I get a picture with you?" (pronounced: Kin I git a pick cha with ya?) I ask, and he says "Sure!"

Now I'm in the state of shock and just whispering "Wow, Jimmy Fallon." Then my brain is going back and smacking itself upside the head for 'sorta funny' and 'kinda good' - ooof... doh!

As I hand Kenny my cell phone to take a picture and James takes out his camera, the pictures are being snapped but I'm in a daze (hence, the closed eyes and huge smile of 'oh my goshers, it's Jimmy Fallon!')

I'm thanking him for his time (rambly tidal wave of words, thank you so so so much, wow, Jimmy Fallon) and letting the pictures be taken, and Kenny asks him what he's doing in New Hampshire, of all places. I ask him if he's in the state to join the Free State Project (hahaha - hope he wonders what that is and googles it) - so he tells us that he's here for the holidays and such, and we're just all in that celebrity shock. We see political leaders every day, we kinda expect that - but Jimmy Fallon? Outta the blue! A nice surprise.

So there's the picture of the moment in time when life saw things were in the thick of death-in-the-family sadness, and tossed me something funny, warm and friendly to get me back into the spirit of life and happiness. Not to say I haven't been struggling to deal with the loss of my mom and all since that moment in time, but it definitely brought a bunch of smiles and laughter to the day. We'd had a few giggles prior, that day, but this was a really gigantic big batch of 'wow.'

Just gotta add that the way he comes across on the screen, as a sweet and genuine kinda person, is even doubly so when he's right beside ya. And maybe it's just because I'm so short, but he is wicked, wicked tall, holy smokes! So tall! And so patient with a nutty little stockperson in flashing Christmas lights, mop in hand and telling him he wasn't him... hahaha.

I wonder what kind of funny moments life has in store for me in 2009? :D

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime® 6.5 or higher is required. Visit www.apple.com/quicktime/download to download the free player or upgrade your existing QuickTime® Player. Note: During the download process when asked to choose an installation type (Minimum, Recommended or Custom), select Minimum for faster download.

Here's the last photo taken of me and my 'surrogate' mom... she passed away yesterday morning. Peacefully, I've been told. This was taken on a day when her mind was having trouble focussing (boy, can I relate...) but in between the scattered thoughts, we had some moments of clarity. I let her know, many times since this photo was taken, that I would not be the woman I am had it not been for the woman she was. We were an odd mix - she was a hardcore Democrat leaning wonderwoman, and I was/am a hardcore ... well, I'm not sure there's a political term to describe what I think anymore. I only know what I think, and there's no longer a group that represents me.

But, as a mother, and as a woman, and as an avid lover of words... she and I, over the course of these past two decades, have left nothing undiscussed. She knew all my secrets (of which I don't have many) - she knew all of my worries and concerns, joys and happinesses, goals and theories. And I knew hers. She taught me, and I taught her. It was a kinship that her son, decades ago, knew would remain solid no matter the course of events that took place (her son had introduced us while he and I were dating.) Because of certain traits she and I both shared - mainly our organization and 'cleaning frenzies' - as well as our bold, loud-mouthed approach to stating our thoughts and opinions (hahaha... man, will I ever miss that about her.)

The past few years, it was her house that Mother's Day was at... and when my dad was alive, he'd come to the Mother's Day gathering as well (because in many *non-female* ways, my father was also a mom.) Those are going to be my favorite memories, I knew even at the time they were occuring, that those warm, spring afternoons spent together would be the ones that got me through the years they were no longer here on Earth...

I just never expected it to be so soon in life that I would be without both my mom and dad... they were the only two people on this planet that I confided in, as I knew the words, advice and wisdom they would offer me on life's road would be the most accurate, loving, kind and trustworthy. I also so very much enjoyed their company and hearing of their life stories, past and present.

And now they are both gone, hanging out together somewhere in the universe, watching us from a bird's eye vantage... in the quiet of a snowy day here in New Hampshire, filled with the shock and numbness that comes after the death of a loved one, I have this overall feeling of, strangely enough, calm. Sadness, too - but it's like she is all around me whispering "it's all okay, sweetie, it's all just a part of life."

When my father died, I at first felt this huge sense of being alone... but my father made it a point to let me know I wasn't *really* ever alone. It almost seems that with her there with him now, on the other side of life, I feel that 'not really alone' factor even more than I already did.

I was going to head to Massachusetts today, but with the snow and parts of our street losing electricity, I'm sticking around just in case I have to take the boys with me, should another power outage happen (we lost power for 3 days with the recent icestorm.) As my eyes keep filling up with tears, it's probably a good thing that I not be on the road for two and a half hours anyways.

What an interesting journey this all is.

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime® 6.5 or higher is required. Visit www.apple.com/quicktime/download to download the free player or upgrade your existing QuickTime® Player. Note: During the download process when asked to choose an installation type (Minimum, Recommended or Custom), select Minimum for faster download.

More poetry from Paula Nancy Millstone Jennings:

What are you thinking, he asked
It's so fragile, she replied
What is, he inquired
Everything, she said and looked outside

The window of the vehicle
as they drove down Cape Cod roads
and he looked at big strong bridges
and thought of all her modes

It's a wonder it has lasted
but again, our time's so short
He knew of her reasonings and logic
but he gave her no retort

He only touched her hand
in inescapable agreement
she squeezed gently to acknowledge
she appreciated the appeasement

It wouldn't be until years later
as they heard of the new shore
that all they had then looked upon
was, as she said, no more

It's science, she had told him
not some spooky, creeped out gift
this universe is just silly
on a universal drift

He would walk with her to the edges
and watch her kneel down there and cry
and sure enough, just as she'd said
they most likely would survive

Though most have no way of knowing
she, in turn, just always had
she'd called it basic instinct
he called it 'possibly mad'

But now he knew for sure
although he rarely doubted, really
deep inside, he'd always known
what with her touchy feely

and her sudden bursts of genius
and her zany theories of man
and origins and galaxies
aliens, Iran

He touched upon her shoulders
It's so strong, he said, and paused
What is, she asked, and looked around
You are, he said, without understanding the laughter it would cause

I'm really not, she softly spoke
as some extra moons went by
I'm only here to observe, you know,
without really knowing why

There's times I think I think I know
and other times I don't
and times I think I maybe wish
the things I think just won't

And then there's times I want to sleep
because the tired is so thick
those are the times I awake at four
in the mornings, gone by so quick

When I said fragile, everything
I meant me, too, this is so brief
and full of moments, and full of love
but heavy, so heavy with grief

And in the end they got the start
she'd hoped the planet got
she'd written up the legacies
and secured a peaceful plot

With the crying done she then stood up
and got back on her feet
and hugged him for remaining there
upon her bumpy street

As now the future held its promise
of renewal and rebirth
and, as she'd suspected, and as she'd smiled
the meek did inherit the Earth