J.O.L.L.Y …. I bet you can even hear the old familiar catchy tune ringing in your head …. ‘Tis the season to be jolly, . …. fa la la la la, la la la la. The well-known lyrics in the first verse of Deck the Halls, the famous Christmas carol – a jolly, frolicking song of good cheer!

With that said, are you JOLLY right now or are you feeling too jaded to embrace the “jolly” frame of mind? Are you numb, stressed and totally confused? Are you overwhelmed with too much on your schedule {and on your plate – ugh that means weight gain – oh no – NO comfort eating please} or are you flat out paralyzed and don’t know what to do next? Continue reading →

Today marks the 100th day anniversary of my mother’s death. She is greatly missed. I think of her many times during the day … every day … and I intentionally envision her healthy and happy, frolicking in her new heavenly home. It helps to heal the hole in my heart knowing that she’s at peace in a beautiful place surrounded by love and light.

Many of you have kindly asked how my Dad is doing now that he’s alone after almost 72 years of marriage to his life-long love. As he’s expressed a few times recently, “Mum was the anchor in my life”. She was his and he was hers. Even though Mum suffered from dementia in the final stages of life, she was physically THERE with him. In his presence. Her well-being became his sole purpose in life … to care for her and see her safely up to heaven. Continue reading →

I’m in a rambling kind of mood today, so if you think I’m flitting here and there, you’re probably right! A string of fleeting thoughts flashed through my mind in a haphazard, happy kind of way this morning. Thoughts that fluttered around in my head like butterflies darting from flower to flower. Hey friends, thoughts can be anything you want, right? We are the creator of our own thoughts.

I’m up before the crack of dawn today … just me, God and my random thoughts! Annoying to be up so early really, because after all it IS the weekend and don’t most people get to sleep longer? Isn’t that the “done” thing, the expected Saturday sleep-in treat, especially for the {dare I say it} “oldies”? You know, those whose identity used to be referred to as moms and dads, but who through no fault of their own, are now permanently branded as grandparents, simply because their children chose to have offspring of their own. Funny when you think of it that way isn’t it?  Mind you, I’m not complaining. I love being a grandparent … the older part that goes with it?  Not so much .

BTW, if you’re scratching your head and you’re not getting the tongue-in-cheek-comment in the last paragraph, don’t worry yourself unduly. It doesn’t mean you’re crazy or confused {although that’s no proof you’re not}, it just means you haven’t achieved grandparent status yet! Continue reading →

An unusual experience this morning left me speechless {you’re smiling I can tell!}. For someone who loves to write, being at a loss for words is humorous isn’t it? Yes, I’m chuckling at myself as well! Yet I’m compelled to write about this mysterious occurrence, if for no other reason than to transpose it from mind to paper. I’ll endeavor to convey what happened and you can draw your own conclusions!

Perhaps more amusing than my being “speechless” is my internal struggle for a logical explanation … one that makes sense. Those who follow my blog know that I am indeed a very spiritual person, “tuned in” to God, and a believer in the existence of many mysteries in the universe that aren’t easily explained, so that’s nothing new. I’ve actually had several inexplicable experiences in my life time but that’s for a different blog. So I’m very attuned to my spiritual nature. However, there’s another side to me. Continue reading →

They lay there on my bedroom chair, unceremoniously wrapped up in plastic bags of various dimensions and origins, carefully packed and then unpacked from my suitcase and lovingly {albeit randomly} placed there on my return from England in early August. There they remained – in a pile – even after several weeks!

A cursory glance would reveal a heap that resembled a cluttered mess of meaningless “stuff”, but on deeper examination, one might catch a glimpse of an old jewelry box, a photograph, a lace handkerchief, a book of poetry, or a seemingly insignificant piece of tattered paper peeking out from behind its humble, crumpled container, along with a copy of Mum’s remembrance ceremony, revealing her smiling face. Continue reading →