October 7--In the Garden

If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden. 
--Frances Hodgson Burnett

    Silly me. I read this as "you can see the whole world IN a garden." So I'm sticking with that...

    How about "the good, the bad, and the ugly?" The "good" is the plants we want there. The "bad" is the weeds. The "ugly" is trash (found after a long, windy winter) or storm damage or dead plants that didn't make it. 

    We see beauty in a garden. We see cooperation--bees pollinating flowers. We see competition for water and nutrients among plants. We see divine order--a tomato seed becomes a tomato plant and an acorn becomes an oak tree, and our Earth Mother nurtures it all. We see perfection--a perfect rose bloom. We see imperfection--rarely will you see a garden without some weeds. 

    Over, above and through it all is mystery, the infinite ways our glorious planet sustains all life on herself.

    My 2,000 mile journey is complete, and I'm so glad to be home!

    And yes, the whole world IS a garden!

        Leta

My woman-cave window garden

October 6--Home, Here I Come!

There's a bit of magic in everything, and some loss to even things out. 
--Lou Reed

    Having just experienced a huge loss in our family, I'm having a hard time with it "evening things out." A magical woman has left us, and there is a gaping hole in our hearts. 

    Yesterday I completed the 600-mile part of my trek home. This section going west was, for some unknown reason, easier than it was going east. My in-laws graciously welcomed me. I took a two-mile walk to move my sitting-all-day-in-the-car body, then enjoyed a lovely supper prepared by my mother-in-law. After a hot shower, I enjoyed a much-needed nine hours of sleep.

    Homeward bound, only 400 miles today!

        Leta

Along an Ohio Hike-Bike Trail

October 5--Celebrating Sue; Heading Home

Age does not protect you from love, but love to some extent protects you from age.  --Jeanne Moreau

    On Tuesday, our family gathered for lunch together before heading to the funeral home. There was a visitation with family in the late afternoon, where it was great fun to reunite with folks I had not seen in a while. The service at 6:00 pm was lovely and a fitting tribute to a dearly-loved and powerfully-loving woman. There was LOTS of soul-rinsing, and not just by me! 

    After the service a crowd went back to my brother's house to continue the joy of being together to celebrate Sue. 

    I am so glad I made this 1,000 mile trip. I could not have stood not being here. The time with family has been priceless. I am also so grateful for plans in place to move my brother to assisted living, where life will be much safer and easier for him.

    Today I head west toward home, destination Wentzville, Missouri. 

        Leta

A beautiful fall day for an ice cream adventure!

October 4--A Multi-Colored Life

The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain. 
--Dolly Parton

    Yesterday the family members who were available met with the minister who is officiating at Sue's memorial service. He wanted to get a "picture" of Sue before the event. Present were Sue's husband of 61+ years, daughter, sons, sister-in-law (me), and daughter-in-law. Being the writer I am, I had jotted down a few of my special memories of Sue. I'll share those here sometime soon.

    I went out and purchased daisies, Sue's favorite flowers, to create an arrangement for the service. Then my niece and I went for a walk on the nearby trail where I cut wildflowers and greenery to mix with the daisies. Below is the result, my creativity a tribute to Sue's, which was awesome.     

    Other family events of the day included a Handel's ice cream adventure and a pizza party and gab session in the evening. I had the joy of driving to the Cleveland Airport to retrieve a great-nephew away on a business trip. I hadn't seen him in quite some time, so it was fun to catch up. He's out of college and a working man now. 

    A friend gave me this C. S. Lewis quote: To know the grief now is because we knew the love then.

    We have known great love!

        Leta

October 3--Imagination

Some people could look at a mud puddle and see an ocean with ships. 
--Zora Neale Hurston

    I started yesterday (Sunday) with a two-mile walk on the Hike-Bike Trail near my niece's home. After walking a quarter-mile on the lovely wooded trail, I realized that all I was seeing was the paved path. Grief has a way of hunching me over and narrowing my view. In reference to the quote, I was in the mud. "Look up!" I told myself. Below are some photos of the beauty I saw once I entered "ocean with ships" mode. 

    Family gathered at my brother's house for the Browns-Falcons football game. It was so fun to reunite with some relatives that I had not seen in a few years. Alas, the Browns lost, and although we all ate a lot, it seems we barely made a dent in the generous food donations. After the game, it was naptime (though my brother got to that earlier). 😉 My niece and I enjoyed a late afternoon walk, then gabbed for hours over snacks and cocktails. Words cannot express how much I love her and love being with her! So while we are all grieving, the ocean is full of ships!

    Look up!

        Leta

October 2--Normal Day

Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are.  --Mary Jean Irion

    This is HUGE for me now, being in Ohio with my brother's family for my s-i-l's memorial service. 

    Yesterday's "normal" day included taking my brother to a 12-Step meeting. Since it was an open meeting, I stayed, and it was excellent. There is nothing quite like a recovery story to make one grateful. Talk about perspective! My brother's good friends at the meeting were lined up to offer condolences. 

    I hung out with my brother at his house after the meeting. Family friends brought over enough food to feed a small army, so I organized the fridge and fixed lunch and did dishes. Being Saturday, college football was on TV. Knowing this would put my brother into nap mode, I headed back to my niece's house for a nap. My niece and I went out for a long walk on the trail near her house, a much-needed movement, outside, in-the-woods, fresh air time. We enjoyed a simple salad supper and a movie. 

    It was a "normal day." It was, for me, an emotional roller coaster. I have become during this visit much more informed relative to my brother's health issues. Right at this moment, I am more aggrieved about his condition than I am over Sue's passing. It's all grief. And it brings up my own fears of aging and poor health. 

    More family members continue to arrive in the area--today we gather to watch the Cleveland Browns game and eat a lot of food!

    Appreciating the treasure of this day, 

       Leta

Barney demonstrates that any "normal day"
includes a nap.

October 1--Perspective

Oh, how I regret not having worn a bikini for the entire year I was twenty-six. If anyone young is reading this, go, right this minute, put on a bikini, and don't take it off until you're thirty-four.  --Nora Ephron

    October's theme is perspective. We all see things differently. Mostly that's a good thing, except for maybe religion and politics. 

    I'll let you do as you will with Ms. Ephron's quote. I'm thinking I might replace "worn a bikini" with "traveled around Europe" or something similar. 

    I had an excellent day with my brother yesterday. We went golfing. I played, and he rode in the cart with me. Being the sweetie he is, he did not laugh at me much. His health prevents him from golfing, and it's one of the things he misses the most. I miss golfing with him, and so it was a treat to have him with me. After we squeezed in a short nap, we paid a visit to the assisted living center where he will be moving. I could write many paragraphs on that adventure. Suffice it to say that it is a great place, the people were super, and I believe he will adapt quite well. Most important, he will be much safer there. 

    Then my niece and I met friends at a local brew pub and spent the evening over beers, pizza and cards. I was reminded how to play Euchre, which I really enjoy. It was an outstanding mental break from grief to catch up with these folks and laugh a LOT. 

    Below is a sign in my niece's bathroom. Let's live by it. 

        Leta