I spent yesterday working on home projects. We moved into our house last month and I’ve struggled to find the energy and time needed to do the fine tuning of sorting everything. I have a lifetime of memories in boxes and folders that need to have something done with them. That, plus several other projects, were on my plate yesterday. I didn’t finish but I did put a significant dent into the mountain of my “to-do” list.
Usually I’m on top of what needs to be done at home. I am a self-professed neat nick and that compulsion keeps the house clean. At times I wish I were different, that I didn’t see the dust or disorder. It helps to take out my contacts but the only problem with that is I will start bumping into walls. So there’s that.
Influenza A has earned my respect
Earlier this month, I was in Malawi to help at our community clinic that we host partnering with Hand of Hope. I returned, as did many of those on the team, with what I first thought was just a bad cold. When I didn’t get better as usual, the doctor checked me for a myriad of issues and found I had Influenza A. Until now, I have seriously underestimated the power of Influenza A. It knocked me for six and I was down for the count.
Now, with my arsenal of medications and tissues, I am on the upswing. Yesterday, my eyes inevitably fell on the ever-growing “to-do” list of housework, organization, and a garden project. I donned my yellow latex gloves and off I went. Once I was done cleaning and organizing more things from our move, I told everyone to sleep outside and wash their clothes in the stream. Ha, I was just kidding, but a part of me wasn’t. 🤣
You should have a burden to pray for my husband Jamie, he has to put up with all of this on the regular.
Three flower beds
The biggest project of the day was to dig three flower beds in the garden; two for roses and the other for a small assortment of succulents. The soil here is very compact. We bought a pick, shovel, and rake but found the ground resisting our every attempt to break it up. I called a gardening service (thank you Jenny) and they came to dig the flower beds for me. Even for a team of six grown men, the beds proved to be a challenge. But, in the end, they succeeded in nearly finishing my project, save one bed that remains to be dug which they will do next Tuesday.
I find these so beautiful in my little garden.
That seems to be a lifetime ago
My father passed away last month. A dear friend of mine wanted me to have flowers and sent a bit of money asking that I buy some. Unbeknownst to her, I wanted to plant a little rose garden in memory of my father, and my mother, and brother (both who passed away some years ago). This is where the garden project began. My heart was full by the end of the afternoon as I admired the first three roses that I planted. They are lavender roses, the same color I carried in my wedding bouquet. I remember my dad commenting on how beautiful they were on that day. That seems to be a lifetime ago.
Grief has a way of sneaking up on you when you least expect it. Dad’s passing wasn’t unexpected but the emotions still come. The tears still sting. And the heart still aches. Now that he, my mother, and brother have gone, I feel the need to remember them. To mark their lives somehow. The best I can do is plant a few flowers. It gave me such joy yesterday to see the roses get planted.
May you find joy every time you look at your flowers, Lea. I’m sorry for your heartache.
Thank you Mary for your kind words. I appreciate them 🙏🏼