Mama me…

Had an overnighter…with that daughter of hers…so fun not to be rushed…have time to catch up…relax…rub feet…

Showed her off to New Town…showed New Town off to her…the quaint downtown…the beautiful bridge…the mighty Mississippi…

And then…there was…that Watermelon…the biggest slice in the whole wide world…apparently hadn’t bragged enough…for she…was unaware…

Of it’s awesomeness…the colors…the ginormousness…the hollow echo…when one knocks…

Had a photo shoot…trying to get angles that hide the double chin…falling back into sync…with the silliness…the laughter…the goofiness…that makes us…us…

And sometimes…that’s all you need…is one day…one day…to be together…one day…to reconnect…one day…to just…be…

One day…to let her see…how special she is…how beautiful she is…how much…her mama loves her…

And one day…to make that mother of hers…feel…the same way…
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And that daughter of mine…agrees…

This old gal…

Baked cookies…Christmas cookies…the same ones those girls of hers…always set out…for Santa…

Bake one day…frost the next…take some along to that Thanksgiving gathering…

Got a message…from that young neighbor of mine…maybe she would like to frost cookies…with her old gal friend…but that…unfortunately…was not to be…

And suddenly…cookie frosting me…was tired…mixing up that powered sugar…stirring in…those pretty colors…

But was she tired…really…or…if we are being honest here…maybe…she was just…a little bit sad…

The house too quiet…sad…the holidays too simple…sad…suddenly missing…those daughters of hers…sad…

And so it is…in life…sometimes…sad…shows up…creeps in…tugs at your heart a bit…

Acknowledge it…embrace it…and know…it’s going to be…ok…
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And those daughters of mine…agree…

This old gal…

Has a journal…a happiness journal…a journal of joy…

Read a list…five years old…still rings true today…except perhaps needs the addition of…I am loved…by the cutest kitties…in the whole wide world…

Things that make you feel lucky…aka…things you are thankful for…and really…these are a no brainer…husband…daughters…church…good health…

Why not go one step further…celebrate some randos…the every day…simple things of thanks…that tend to fall through the cracks…

A safe arrival in Ireland…a baked-bean -bringing queen going to her first Friendsgiving…a visit from someone special…for the holiday…

Sweet photos from Dublin…cute Christmas kitties…the hint by a friend…that the coveted but elusive grape chapstick…can be found…at the DG…just down the way…

Parking in the driveway…a favorite mug from a favorite girl…one last bloom…from that beautiful…hibiscus…

And so it is…every day…is filled with joys…big joys…little joys…grape chapstick and kitty cat joys…

Why not celebrate them too…today…tomorrow…and every day after…
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And that family of mine…agrees…

This husband of mine…

Spent quite a bit of time…in the garage with Little Miss Aspen…

Testing string…flexibility…durability…embracing those Native American roots…with a little…bow and arrow target practice…

Bringing to mind that warning of yore…be careful…my boy…not to throw a baseball…through the neighbor’s window…

Encountered that manchild of mine…looking a little sheepish…the cat…he says…must have accidentally shot an arrow…through the window…

That cat…one fifth the size of Little Miss Aspen…apparently more skilled than one would think…was nowhere…to be seen…

Helped Mr Tattletale…clean up his mess…tape up the window…and honestly…got a good laugh…out of the ridiculousness…of it all…

Because sometimes in life…we shoot for the stars…relationships…career…aspirations…and sometimes in life…that shot…falls short…

There’s nothing wrong…with changing your target…adjusting your aim…and keep on keeping on…until you hit…that proverbial…bullseye…
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And that husband of mine…agrees…

This husband of mine…

Spent an inordinate amount of time…looking at boards…his patient wife…imagining what it would be like…naming your kids…after wood…

Not sure what the lumber was for…building something…fixing something…creating something…often get…not sure yet…upon asking…

Kind of like the element of surprise…checking in now and then…watching progress…getting a sense of what’s emerging…

And so it was…that board…little Miss Aspen…was artistically transformed…into a bow…for arrows…have to say curious me…didn’t see that one coming…

And so it is…in life…that thing we call potential…all it takes is one…one person…to see…to believe…

To support that someone…anyone…even Little Miss Aspen…in their desire to be…whatever it is…they’ve always wanted…to be…
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And that husband of mine…agrees…

​This old gal…

Has a tote full of bags…not the 40 totebag bags…but gift bags…paper…gift bags…

Organized by size…holiday…purpose…nestled around a box of ribbon…colored tissue paper…a variety of bows…

A useful tote…to be sure…but also…a treasure chest…for bags…from the past…

Gift bags…created by little hands…that held gifts…created…by little hands…at school…for that mother of theirs…

Don’t know why mama me saved them…but she’s glad she did…twenty years later…those drawings…tell a story…

Of sweet times…little girl times…times when a bubble butterfly and a To Mom-I love you…was the most precious gift of all…

Just like…if we’re being honest here…it still is…today…
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And those daughters of mine…agree…

This old gal…

Has been a busy little beaver…getting that Christmas shopping done…before the end of October…

Wrapped…mailed…given to friends…need it taken care of…before heading south…

Love the planning…the browsing…the finding the perfect gift…pretty paper…bows…ribbons…showing those special people…how much…they are loved…

Kind of fun…getting started early…
Kind of nice…having it all done…
Kind of a curse…because impulse buyer me…well…you know how it goes…

So many cute things…so many…fun things…there’s always something else…someone…would certainly love…

Had done well holding back…until…wouldn’t you know…here comes the advent calendar…love them…have always…loved them…

Resisted…gallantly…robustly…and then…there it was…on Amazon…calling the name…of cat lover puzzle loving me…

Of course…the rest is history…because what’s a woman to do…all of December…if she’s got all her shopping done…

And with the click of a finger…
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That husband of mine…agreed…

That little brother and I…

Back in the day…way way…back in the day…couldn’t wait for the arrival…of those beloved Christmas catalogs…

One had the Sears…the other…JC Penney…side by side on the floor…using that ball point pen…to circle a wish list for Santa…

There was nothing like the thrill…the excitement…the innocent anticipation…for what was to come…

And so it was…Blaine’s Farm and Fleet…the arrival…of ToyLand…and the heart of little me…fluttered…

Got giddy even…walking those aisles…oohing and ahhing…the toys…ornaments…cinnamon scented pine cones…mentally circling this for him…that…for her…

But with age…and time…the anticipation of what’s to come…changes…

Holidays simple…quiet…apart…mama me…finding herself letting go of what used to be…and finding joy…in what is…

Because magic is magic…lights…sounds…zoom calls…texts…it’s still there…the magic…and it will always…be there…regardless of miles…

Because that’s what love…is all about…
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And those daughters of mine…agree…

This old gal…

Loves when her neighbor cats…come for a visit…their personalities so different…their level of comfort…each unique…

Old Man Wrigley…cautious…shy…but comfortable…Roddy Piper…owned it…that Sweetie Pie Toby…all over the place…acted like he’d lived here…for years…

And now…there’s Pumpkin…took weeks to come near…to get a pat…to come in the kitchen…then once inside…panics…if the door is closed…

Leave it propped with a can…cuz if he feels trapped…sees no escape…he freaks…

And so it is…in life…sometimes…we feel trapped…like there’s no way out…relationships…jobs…everything else…

Turn to those you love…those who hear you…get you…let them be your support…and then open your arms…and you…be theirs…
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And that husband of mine…agrees…

This old gal…

Marvels…at the impact the early years has…on one’s future…

Can see that with those daughter’s of mine…tried to protect them as much as possible…but still sh** happens…that sh**…that pain…guiding certain life choices…

Can see that obviously…looking back…on this old life…a fixer…a pleaser…avoids conflict…tolerated things in relationships…others might not…

But with struggles…can come gifts…the gift…to see beyond actions…behaviors…the I wonder what makes that person tick…kind of thing…

The understanding…that everyone…has a story…a different…story…filled with good and bad…ups and downs…and that story…an impetus…in how…one moves forward…

Embrace your story…find strength…in your story…be proud…of your story…celebrate all those things…that make you…you…

And then get out there…and live…happily…ever after…
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And this husband of mine…agrees…