Growing with gratitude for life's challenges
What a week. Within days of listing, we had several house showings. The fourth couple through showed interest. They had one other house to view the next day. “There should be an offer coming tomorrow,” the realtor advised us. She called the next morning to say she’d be by at 5:00 for us to sign. […]
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Lovers like to claim a song as their own, a symbol of their passion. This never worked for me – the only partner who declared a song ours – “Love Lifts Us Up Where We Belong” – dropped me shortly after. I dated a con-man once who dubbed “La Vida Loca” as my theme song. […]
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There’s an old black walnut tree that stands on the edge of our new property. As much as I try to not think about the next house and focus on this one – keeping it sale worthy – I can’t stop thinking about that tree. Viewed from the back deck, it is a prime model […]
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“Don’t worry Grandma; I can go at a sloth’s pace!” my granddaughter once reassured me when I confessed that I can’t keep up. So, I’m a sloth. I like to think I’m more of an old tortoise: lumbering but steady. There was a time when I was the hare: fast, but not always winning the […]
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Monday we were excited about the possibility, but then overnight doubts set in for me. He talked me through it, assuaged my fears. The house around the corner with the beautiful views also needs work. We called the owner for another viewing. Ric was right. My concerns were not founded. I was in. But then […]
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I love our home. It’s the perfect size for the two of us plus our two doggies. We have all the amenities we need. The only thing that is missing, I confide to a friend, is nature. For two years, we lived in our 41′ motor home, traversing North America and discovering many wondrous places. […]
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Is procrastination a pauseor fear seeping in?Let’s take a moment –broken silence –a timely pause …Reflectcollect our thoughtsleave a seedand rememberwonderBe like waterlike the squirreltouch the softnesswave goodbyeto the noiseobservetill the end of this ride. (This poem is an amalgamation of our collective thoughts on this week’s focus: pause. Thank you for the many inspired […]
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The world is a noisy place at the moment, and rightfully so. The bubble of denial has burst when it comes to systemic racism. As people march in protest demanding change, a virus lurks, threatening further losses. And, I haven’t even mentioned the absurdity of political ranting that seems so inappropriately off base right now. […]
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What’s her name?Simple questionfrom mother to son –recognizing the love-liftedjoy of his countenance. I cannot tell, said he,you’ll ask too many questions.Do I know her?No, Mom, she’s Somali.And Muslim. I felt my whitenessand all its privilegeslap me, stumbled Of course she is welcome,of course it does not matter. Had no sense of the depthof my […]
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“A store in town has activity books for the kids; can we go?” Now that we’ve expanded our bubble, I’m thinking of ways to entertain the grandchildren. I haven’t set foot in a store for three months. The idea excites me. “Better put on something decent,” I tell Ric laughingly. I pull out a top […]
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One Woman's Quest II 