Merry Christmas

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas!

A Thoughtful Gesture, A Christmas Poem

Yesterday a large envelope arrived in the mail. The return address was from someone I knew at work before we moved to DC. I do recall she asked for my address soon after my mom passed away in February saying something about sending a note to remember her. Well, that is what arrived in the mail yesterday. Apparently someone had sent her a poem following her father’s death and the words brought comfort to a grieving daughter during the holiday season. It was a very thoughtful and kind gesture, especially since it was so unexpected. Enclosed was a hard copy of the poem with my mom’s photo - the same photo used in her obituary - and two additional copies to share with my brother and sister. I didn’t read it right away but waited for later in the day. I think about my mom every all the time and wonder how other people react to their loss. Everyone goes through it - which is one of the reasons that makes it tolerable. I don’t particularly care for holidays and this year it’s worse because we don’t have the routine diversions. But I really appreciate the kind gesture. Thanks Shirley. 

Remembering My Parents

We’ve done it every year. But this is the first time we did not travel to Florida for my birthday or for Christmas. Both happen to fall in December. It’s obvious why we wouldn’t travel this year, but there is another reason. My mom passed away in February and that was the last trip we took. She is buried next to my dad at Florida National Cemetery. Since both of my parents were Veterans, they each have their own place. Since we always drove home, we have stopped at the cemetery in Bushnell since 2015 to visit Dad, which is about 90 minutes from our house. Depending on the time of the year we put flowers or a Christmas wreath on the grave. Since we can’t be there this year we had a florist in the area lay a Christmas wreath between the grave stones and requested a photo. I’m not sure when we will ever go back to Florida. My sister is handling all the affairs and the house was given to the neighbors who took such good care of mom over the last many years. This is the first Christmas without both of my parents. It’s a very strange feeling since they were a part of my life for such a long time. I keep thinking everyone else goes through it. But it’s hard to move on especially since the usual diversions don't apply. I suppose life goes on whether we like it or not. But I couldn’t, or wouldn’t forget them. 

A Tiny Fish Tale Children’s Book

My first children’s book “A Tiny Fish Tale” was published about eight years ago. It was about a Betta fish called GW, short for George Washington. Aside from writing the story, I painted all the illustrations using my iPad. It was first available as a StoryChimes app through the iTunes Store and sold for ninety-nine cents! But the app didn’t include my illustrations and was never updated. It can’t be viewed on the latest operating system. So I dug out an old iPhone and took some photos of the app pages, and listened to the tale. Since that time I self published the book on Amazon using my paintings, and it is available as a Kindle download, or as a hard copy children’s book. Since then two other books were written and illustrated. “The Four Promises” and “My Trip to Washington DC” both were about my grandsons - one who lived in Washington, DC and the other in California. When I look back at how it all happened it surprises me. I always liked to draw since I can remember. I was an editor of our high school newspaper and contemplated a career in journalism. Neither of those options came to fruition. I opted for nursing instead just to ensure I could find a job. The writing and the art were always helpful during my career wherever it took me. Now I spend a lot of time doing both. 

Walk in the Park, Foggy Glasses, and Giant Pick Up

After it snowed last week we tried to walk in the park but didn’t stay very long. I’d rather not break my neck on the ice or slip in the mud. This morning it was so much better, but the mud remained. So we stayed on the more habitable paths. What was curious were tiny little snowbird creatures that someone fashioned. I’m sure there were more but I happened to notice only two. One had a beak and a little hat. There is usually some article of lost clothing. This time was a pair of blue gloves stuck in the branches. I wonder if anyone really ever finds their lost gloves or hats again? Of course there are always dog walkers. Every time I see a pooch I am reminded of our beautiful Borzoi Tatiana and the painting I still need to get done for someone before the end of the week. I’m getting really tired of foggy glasses. It makes it very difficult to focus on taking photos, but also it’s very difficult just to see. While we were out walking we got our email notice that the groceries were ready for curbside pick up at Giant. So the morning was full of activity and there is still the bed making and wash to do. It’s the never ending cycle of staying at home these last nine months. You’d never know it was Christmas week. 

GWHOLE Ring Size Adjuster Set

It’s bound to happen to just about everyone. Your wedding ring seems to shrink so you can’t take it off of your finger. Unfortunately, my husband’s ring finger joint has a bit of arthritis and it has expanded to the point where it was near impossible to remove. The ring really needs to be enlarged but it’s the last thing he wants to do but eventually may be the only solution. He took the ring off and said it felt too strange to keep it that way, and I agreed! So we looked on Amazon to see what solutions there might be - even temporarily. We came across GWHOLE ring adjusters. They are tiny little plastic spiral pieces that are wrapped around the ring to make it tighter. He wanted to put the ring on his pinky finger because it was essentially the only one it could possibly fit. The kit arrived yesterday and we ended up putting a small size spiral layer on first followed by a large size spiral layer to close the gap between the finger space and the ring. The kit also comes with a silver polishing cloth “made in England.” So far the plastic spiral pieces are working ok but I’m hoping we aren’t sorry we tried this route. The last thing we want to do is lose this ring for all the reasons you can imagine. It’s been a part of us for far too long. 

The Four Promises Children’s Book

It was eight years ago! My children’s book “The Four Promises” was transformed in to an app by StoryChimes. Shortly thereafter I turned the story in to a self published book on Amazon. I not only wrote it but also painted all the art work. Thinking back on it I don’t know how I did it. “A Tiny Fish Tale” was also turned in to an app. That was my first book. What’s so special about “The Four Promises” is that it was published in December, and the story is about my grandson and the words of wisdom his father shared with him before he was deployed to Iraq as an army surgeon. Since the app has never been updated to meet current operating system requirements I decided I should save the story by recording a bit of it off an old iPhone that still supports the rudimentary elements. I was so tickled to have the story accepted and created. Back in the day having an app was really special. It sold for ninety-nine cents! This week I sent the saved movie that was made of the app as it we playing to our grandson and asked him if his dad had had that conversation with him lately. He’s 17 years old now and has a lot of other things on his mind, but at least he remembered it. His mom had a much different take on it. It was a tough time for any family to be separated. That’s why it was so easy to write about. And being the holiday season, it’s a great story to think about it at least once a year.