My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
I’m in Phoenix. They put my mother in hospice on Wednesday so my sister and I flew down on Thursday. She is hardly eating and drinking. Getting weaker, sleeping a lot. In moments of awareness she tells us she loves us. All four of us kids are with her and dad. This image is my dad holding her hand. We are each saying our goodbyes.
My sister and I returned last night about 11:00 pm. The drive home took us about 15 and half hours due to lots and lots of road construction and some nasty weather. We encountered rain/snow mix just south of Colorado Springs until we reached home. It actually got pretty intense for awhile. A major stretch between Colorado Springs and Denver was driven in the dark with rain/snow and slush. Probably had an inch of snow when we arrived. The image above is what we were driving into and was taken just south of Colorado Springs on I-25.
My sister, Sheree, and I feel we got done what we needed in helping my parents make this move. Her and I came home with some stuff, some of it is pure treasure. Good things happened yesterday as we made our way home. My parents home went on the market yesterday afternoon. They also found out yesterday their move in date will most likely be on May 19th. My sister, Marcee and her husband John, will be involved in making that final move happen. They will be living about 2 miles from my parents. So it is all working out nicely.
morning sun enters through my window
mws
warms my soul with its abounding grace
grateful and blessed for this life I live
filled with love of family and friends
solitude and silence the foundations of my life
it’s the staff I need to walk through life
raises me up when I fall, again and again
where I discern my chatter from your words
prayer and meditation my daily practice
a lifeline to grasp when I begin to wander
lifting the spirit when life weighs heavy
opens a door to knowing beyond thinking
it’s been said that if the only prayer we say
is thank you, that would suffice
so I’m thankful for this wonderful life
happy thanksgiving to you!
A cold morning. We received about one inch of snow from this storm. This was outside my condo this morning. They say it is to be mostly sunny today. Patches of blue sky and sunshine are now appearing.
My daughter woke last Monday morning not feeling well. Her employer told her to make an appointment for a COVID-19 test and stay home and not to return until she had test results. She works for Home Depot and is face-to-face with the public since this whole thing began. She was not able to get an appointment until Friday afternoon then had to wait in line for two hours. She received test results yesterday and tested positive. She is now in quarantine for two more weeks and gratefully will be paid for a full three weeks. She did not feel good for the first three days but felt much better last night. She has slept a lot and any sort of exertion causes her to be winded (stairs). She made me smile last night when talking to her on the phone because she is planning to make Christmas cards this year with all the free time. 😍 Good spirits!
As I was about to leave my daughters house on Christmas eve, I found Cricket asleep on their bed near the woodstove. I guess it was just too exhausting. Hope everyone enjoyed the holidays.
I also feel gratitude this morning for all my family. I have memories of times past with them. My cousin Linda died yesterday from brain cancer. So, this morning I have memories of times spent with her as a child and as an adult. No more pain and suffering in her life. In my own way I pray for her husband, children and grandchildren.
We are heading home today, back to the colder temperatures. I have enjoyed the family time except for all the food I was forced to eat. I have also enjoyed the wonderful weather they have here in Phoenix. Tomorrow will be my pre-op appointment, blood draws and more explanation on what to expect with the surgery on the 5th. Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving !
On Fathers Day I spent time with my daughters in-laws. Needless to say, I ate way too much. Matt’s twin brother and his family were out from Chicago. Matt has to two boys and his brother has four for a total of six young boys. Grandma wanted to buy the boys bib-overalls, in memory of her dad who wore them all the time, so photos were taken. During the chaos of pulling together all six boys I happen to catch this image of two brothers. The pose and identical clothes just made this a special image for me.
Fix all your attention on your own path, and do not imitate others.
Taisen Deshimaru
Your life is unique, and your karma is yours alone.
Today is not only our Winter Solstice but it is my youngest granddaughters birthday. I know its hard to imagine this 5 year old with a totally innocent expression in the above image is 21 today. Happy birthday, Madie! You have brought a lot of joy to so many people. I love you!
We returned to home on Saturday evening after enjoying time with family over the Thanksgiving holiday. We had great weather in Phoenix and of course great food. What was most wonderful was all the laughter and conversations. 🙂