Working at it

Today my hubby and I celebrate our 37th anniversary. I hoped I was making the right decision all those years ago. Found out that I have to reassess and recommit every so often. Staying in a marriage is tough work especially when two diverse, opposite, opinionated personalities reside in a relationship.

Peace at last

She enjoyed watching the swans sailing on the lake, cygnets between.
She visited the animal shelter and adopted a cat friend.
A gory murder mystery delighted her.
TV shows entertained her.
Merchandise on the computer enticed her.
Old age, reclusiveness, kept her in her room.
The last few months--a series of hospital visits and rehab.
Now the end is quite near.
Peacefulness for her.
Sadness and loss for me.

Helping Grandfather

Yesterday my son and two daughters got up early and headed to their grandfather's house. My son unloaded 40 bags of topsoil. My daughters spread and raked the topsoil over the low spots. The 17 year old drove the lawn tractor and trailer loaded with patio blocks. They situated the patio blocks against the foundation. My father treated everyone to breakfast. My children thought it important to find the time in their busy day to help their grandfather.

Relieved

Last night we worked on fitness in hapkido class. Forms alternating with 20 plus pushups. I then came home and went online and chatted with a few friends. And finally, to my relief, I began to mellow, my mood shifted, the irritation that I felt all day went away. It is a worry to be in a bad mood and to not know why. Today, I continue to be in a mellow mood although my muscles hurt from fitness class. However, I will take soreness over a bad mood any day!

An Afternoon with my Mother

My mother is 84, is in a wheelchair and has some difficulty speaking due to some strokes she had many years ago. Today, we started off under cloudy skies to the nail salon. She enjoyed choosing a beautiful coral color, but her favorite part was when the manicurist rubbed mango/lavender lotion on her hands, saying "you always have such soft hands." The stylist sat on the floor and clipped my mother's toenails. We laughed when my mother asked, "Should I dance a jig?" I asked my mother if she would like to go to a large food and department store to look for shirts. Entering the department store, beautiful hyacinths caught her eye. We then headed to the shirt department and she choose five brightly colored new tops. She bought a cute bonnet and outfit for her newest great granddaughter who will be born in May. Around the store to the fish in aquariums and shrimp rings in freezers, past bunny cakes and cookies, to the flower section and the blue orchids. Time to check out, she had never seen a u scan because you see, she probably had not been to this store in 30 years! A perfect afternoon with my 84 year old mother!

Missing my Coworkers

A couple weeks ago, I offered to work Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the branch flower shop. It is a small satellite store situated on the western edge of the city. It saves people from the seven mile drive to the central location. I knew that I would be giving up hapkido on Saturday and Friday night zumba and that I would be working by myself. On the positive side, I would be managing the store and designing some simple arrangements. I welcomed the challenge to make the store more profitable. The President of the company had suggested the move months ago, and the other manager thought we would be a good team. I find that I am spending 3/4 of my work week at the branch store, and few hours at the main store. I work with two sales associate coworkers now at the main store, the few hours that I am there. I am missing my coworkers very much!

A Chat With a Former School Superintendent

Yesterday, a gentleman came into the flower shop to send a gift to a dear friend who was celebrating his 80th birthday. When he gave me his credit card, I recognized his name as that of the superintendent of schools during my high school years. The 60s were a turbulent time to be in charge of the schools--race and sex education causing the biggest stir. He told me that when he started his job, 3% of the staff was African American. He recruited teachers at Black Colleges, and by the time he retired, 10% of the teachers were Black. I'm proud that my children and I attended a school system comprised of many diverse cultures. This Superintendent and his board piloted a sex education program for 5th graders in a few of the elementary schools in the city. 1200 people crowded into a meeting held in a gym--a meeting that lasted from 7pm til 1am. The district was opening its second high school, but the building was not completed. We shared the existing high school in two shifts from 7am til noon, and 1pm til 6pm. I attended the second shift and enjoyed sleeping in and doing homework before class, then riding with my boyfriend to school in his Opal.