Day 18

Now I’m using the new computer and the learning curve is biting me. I can’t find word count and I’m not going to count them. Where is my tools icon? And using a standard keyboard after years of using the ergonomic version. I’ll figure it out because I want to do it well. Chris and Carol and I had tea and cookies, shared writing and poetry. We had a nature theme going on for a monthly get together.

Day 17

 

I went to visit my friend Gene. It was heartbreaking. This man who was always in motion is chairfast and miserable. He says he wants to be dead and buried.  I sat quietly and held his hand. Last summer when there was no garden, the end was in sight. He did get some fishing done with the help of his friend. I am so sorry to see him fail. I will visit regularly and offer what comfort I can.

Day 16

XP stands for expired. Today I will switch to Windows 7. And the dreaded learning curve. I take on new projects to keep my brain upgrading too. Called DirecTV yesterday and spent an hour getting the TV to work properly. My dread is worse than the actual effort. All the work in the tower will be deposited in the new one. I deleted 30 old essays that are not relevant and e-mails that I saved and don’t need.

Day 15

Today is Hollie’s 56^th birthday. Always reminds of the day she was born on a dark and stormy early morning. Alone, except for my Divine Spark, her birth was the miracle of the ages. She was so alert and strong, picked her head up and looked me in the eyes, I know the message was, “You, again.” Her first hour of life was just for us. Couldn’t have had that experience without the help of our unseen friends.

From a prompt I wrote ten years ago. Through the eyes of someone...

How do I begin to tell you about my mother’s place in my life?  I will begin at the beginning when she was 22 and alone and I was born.  She and I bonded for at least an hour until my father came home and found us.  We have been bonded ever since that magic time. I could never understand when my friends complained about their mothers, even in high school when dissing mothers was what girls did, I had nothing to say. It’s not that I think she’s perfect, because she certainly isn’t, it’s because I know that she always does the best she can under whatever circumstances are there to cope with or manage. We went through some distressing times while growing up and changing and I always knew that I could depend on being safe and cared for. Once when I had a nasty shock from my first serious boyfriend, she caught me just as I was going out the door carrying my stuffed rabbit, not knowing where I was going or what I was doing.  She simply got in front of the door and held me while I cried and cried.  She didn’t ask me what was the matter.  She took care that I didn’t do anything rash and that I knew how much she loved me.

We’ve had so many big laughs, warm hugs, funny memories and we take those out and cherish them when we need to feel the connection.  Like when my daughter, Megan, was born and she persuaded the hospital to help recreate my birth by staying in the labor room with dim lights and no noise. It was against standard operating procedures and she made it happen because that’s what I wanted. My mother is a walking lesson plan.  When she comes to my classroom to volunteer, I know I can sit down and take care of details or rest.  She will charm the children and enrich their day. They love her so much and so do I.

I could write this for an hour touching on some of the peaks and valleys of both of our lives.  We are bonded and although we keep boundaries so that we each have our own lives, I feel her constantly.

Day 14

Day 14

Susanne called. “There is a movie you would like.” OK. Off we walked to see Quartet and yes, I liked it a lot. What a pleasure to see gray hair and wrinkles portrayed with such love of life and joy. The music was wonderful and fit the cast, the scenery and the overall sense of companionship, history, and talent. Makes me proud of my years and my place in life. Followed by a scrumptious visit to Thai House.

Day 13

The backyard is calling. This respite from the rain is welcome. The green onions are coming up as is the lettuce. I like container gardening. I’ll look for chard and kale babies. Today the net will go up for the pea vines to climb on. The dirt is ready for digging and pulling weeds. My father liked to see dirt under my fingernails. I swear I can smell his cigar smoke when I’m gardening. He’s still watching me.

Day 12

My Lights were on yesterday. Felt healthy to be present and accept the positive responses that came my way. I asked Steven to teach crocheting to the second graders and his Lights came on. Found eight skeins of yarn in the gift shop for two dollars. Showed my blog book to Tracy and her Lights came on. I was keeping the commandment to make people feel better because of our interaction. The up feelings lasted all day long.