It seems other than Sunday Sundries, I've abandoned this little corner. Life has changed once again. My mother came home from rehab ten days ago. The transition was not easy for her or us. There were things to buy, medications to have refilled, remodeling to allow for her wheelchair, groceries to buy, meals to cook, and schedules to set up. She has some brain damage from the stroke, short-term memory loss especially, so I was going to her house four times a day to give her medications and take her vital signs. Thankfully, it's in walking distance. I'm not going to sugarcoat it, this was a very rough week. There was very little time to even thing about picking up my camera and I missed it. I missed the time outside just wandering.
Knowing that this month of June would be hard and because it's my birth month, I challenged myself to find something delightful each day. I didn't always take pictures, but I wrote them in my journal each night.
I wanted to share the first fifteen days with you. It is a wonderful reminder that even in tough times, there's joy to be found.
Day 1 - strawberry, vanilla, and caramel colored mushrooms
Day 2 - seeing an old barn when traveling with my dad
Day 3 - highways lined with Queen Anne's Lace
Day 4 - a video my daughter posted on Facebook
Day 5 - new grocery carts at Walmart (it doesn't take much to make me happy)
Day 6 - cool refreshing snow cone
Day 7 - leaf with perfect bands of color: brown, tan, and green
Day 8 - dainty white hosta blooms
Day 9 - four delights today . . . eating my first wild blackberry of the season . . . Aaron and Isaac bringing me a delicious birthday cupcake . . . dinner with Mr. H . . . the Dickinsons singing Happy Birthday to me on the phone
Day 10 - making a wrong turn and seing a small yard crammed with summer flowers
Day 11 - finding three feathers
Day 12 - a mimosa tree full of pink blooms
Day 13 - eating breakfast outside . . . cool and breezy
Day 14 - the coolest shopping cart ever!
Day 15 - a deer in our pasture . . . as long as I've lived here we've never seen a deer in our pasture
These little daily delights have kept me positive and smiling. I'm looking forward to what the next fifteen days brings!
"If you smile when no one else is around,
you really mean it."
~ Andy Rooney
This is so sweet, and a wonderful reminder to always look for the positive when life gets you down. I hope your mom recovers soon, and thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear about your mom's health cathy. i know how the worry can really bring one down...or at least it does when my parents are sick. which seems to be happening more and more lately. you are the shining example of finding beauty in the less than perfect and staying positive in the midst of challenges. lots of love and prayers for you sweet friend. xo
ReplyDeleteHow lovely to find something delightful each day - despite difficulties right now. I do hope your mum will get into a routine which makes things easier. Continuing your daily delights is a wonderful way of creating balance in your days. All thoughts to you, Cathy.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday! June is a great month for a birthday! New shopper carts is huge, I always have to push the olds ones sidewise because the wheels don't go straight anymore.
ReplyDeleteOk you have inspired me. I am going to look for special things that make me smile for the next 15 days. Then I will have only 31 days until retirement. I just may keep it up.
ReplyDeleteLove the mushrooms. What color. They are just so striking. Hey the deer was neat. He sure was watching you.
The gratitude list is a great idea. There is so much to be thankful for. Grab that camera and go out and celebrate your birthday! My mom is 88 and my mother in law is 90. I know how hard these days can be. Your mushrooms are very pretty!
ReplyDeleteDear Cathy, you are one of my very favorite people on or off line. You have a beautiful, sweet spirit that I admire so much. My mom was much younger than yours when she had a stroke, but she too had short-term memory loss afterwards. It did get better over time and I hope your mother's will too. I'm thinking of you and sending love and a virtual hug!
ReplyDeleteYou and your mother are in my thoughts. I know how difficult it is to be caretaker for a parent. But what an inspiration you are - sharing with us the tiny delights that you find each day, even among the turmoil of this new reality. May the joys continue.
ReplyDeleteoooooooh cathy, i just want to hug you, life sure does throw us some curve balls. i love your straight forward approach, that you were not going to sugar coat this......but you did, in the most unsuspecting way possible. you did it and you did not know you did. this is a GREAT idea, a great way of reminding yourself that you are surrounded by and experiencing joy, all the time.
ReplyDeletewhen i look at your images, i always say, i would not have thought of positioning the subject like that. the cupcake for instance. i want to remember that!!!
Life can deal us some unexpected challenges for sure and it sounds like you are going through quite a change. I can relate in small ways as I take care of my aging mother and have lots of challenges with her. It is so good though that you are finding positive things to look at and realize that life is good even when we have those challenges to face. This was a wonderful post.
ReplyDeleteAnd delights they are, I have never seen such mushrooms, very cool.
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