In Loving Memory
of
Barbara Ellen Halperen

Barbara  Ellen Halperen, formerly of Baltimore, MD, passed away on Saturday, June  6, 2009, in Tustin, CA at the age of 43. She was the beloved wife of  David Halperen, and the daughter of Robert J. Slaght and the late  Barbara Wallace Slaght.

"Bobbe" is  survived by her sisters Susan R. Slaght (Beverly, MA), Donna C. Fuller  (Glyndon, MD), and Roberta Lee Scanlon and her husband Mike Scanlon  (Uncasville, CT). She leaves her nieces and nephews Robert Fuller, Katie  Fuller, Kerry Scanlon, Michael Scanlon and Tom Scanlon. She also leaves  her great-nephew Ryan Fuller and many cousins.

Bobbe  graduated from Randallstown High School. Her passion was writing and she  expressed every emotion and sentiment in poems. Her goal was to publish  a collection of verse and an autobiography that detailed her incredible  medical journey. In addition to her love of the ocean, she was very  involved with the daily care of many feral cats. She most recently  adopted two of them. Her generous heart and loving spirit touched many  lives. We take comfort in knowing she is finally at rest in the loving  arms of our mother.

All I Know 

 I don’t understand how the sun keeps shining
I don’t understand why the seasons change,
I don’t have a clue what makes the rivers flow
 Loving you is all I know

 I can’t tell you why stars come out in the evening
and I can’t tell you where they go when they’re gone,
I don’t have a clue what makes the flowers grow
loving you is all I know

 I don’t know how the world keeps spinning ‘round
I don’t know why the sky doesn’t fall down,
I don’t know why the tide needs to reach the shore
I just know that I need you for forever more
I just know that I would die without your touch

knowing that I get inside our love

I Am

I am a mother without children

a writer with no readers,

I am an actor without a stage

a follower with no leaders

I am a saint who breaks commandments

a sinner with a pure heart,

I am a poet without words or rhyme

a finisher with no start

I am a painter without a canvas

a sculptor with no clay,

I am a listener with no one to hear

a speaker with nothing to say

I am an optimist without hope

a drowning ship that will not sink,

I am a pessimist with great faith

an analyst who cannot think

I am a mirror without reflection

a runner with no marathon,

I am a rebel without any cause

a cheater with no one to con

I am a dreamer who never sleeps

a decision with no choice,

I am a composer without music

a singer with no voice

I am a loner who needs a crowd

a hug with no one to hold,

I am an athlete without a sport

a secret that’s never been told

I am a virgin who likes making love

a taker who prefers to give,

I am a memory without a past

a future with no time to live

I am a puzzle without all the pieces

a self-portrait with no face,

I am a winner who always loses

a dozen roses with no vase

And I am temptation without desire

a new life ready to die,

I am a traveler without any legs

I am wings getting ready to fly….

~~~Bobbe~~~

The Object of My Affection

Marriage is the connection of two yoked hearts
the joining of soul mates becoming one,
exchanging our vows of 14 years ago
our journey together had just begun 

Pledging allegiance to our commitment
in sickness and health, rich times and poor,
our faith in each other has guided the way
through whatever we’ve faced behind each new door

Traveling life's path hand in hand
your love is the only map I need,
you are my soul’s nourishment
with the endless fruit of passion you feed

I treasure every step we share
as our lives so often change direction,
and I cherish life’s greatest gift
being loved by the object of my affection…

.On June 4th of 2010 Barbara Halperen's ashes were placed in the Atlantic  Ocean off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland. In time she will reach the  shores of every sea, always a part of her beloved oceans, forever in  the light.