My online friend, Heather, hosts a monthly blog link up.
I am an infrequent, but always welcome, participant.
Reading through my post from nearly a year ago, I was a tad bit (hugely) depressed to see that I was looking forward to a remodeled house almost a year ago.
Guess what my “Something Ahead” could be today? You guessed it. A remodeled house.
You may not be surprised to learn that my marriage has seen better and easier days than these we have now…but I digress.
Something loved…
It’s true it was inconvenient, and many in other parts of my state suffered enormously. I am not minimizing that in any way.
But it was breathtakingly beautiful.
Something read…
In this case something said because I FINALLY finished the audio of Brene Brown’s I thought It Was Just Me, But It’s Not.
She is brilliant and I love her words. (For those who may wonder, YES, her politics are too liberal for me, but I can easily set that aside to dig in to the wondrous information she has about humanity.)
In the book she says something along the lines of, “Shame always results in fear, blame, and disconnection.” I am digging and reflecting with a huge desire to make sure those things are no part of my relationship with my grown kids.
It’s hhhhhhaaaaaarrrrrrrddddd.
Something treasured…
I am homeschooling well for the first time in a long time…
I took the time to write out my real goals for my daughter and our life as a family. As I thought and prayed, I realized the absolute most important thing was to ensure my daughter was tired at the end of the day.
Our nighttimes were getting stupidly hard, and the real reason was she was understimulated during the day. Painful to acknowledge, but that became the focus of planning the rhythm and routines for our schedule.
We have not yet reached perfection…but we are on our way to much better.
I treasure that.
Something ahead…
There were some $%^$&**y things that happened in January that I am still recovering from. Caring for aging and infirm parents is not for the faint of heart.
But I am close to having a routine for them that delights me. YAY. Infrared saunas, massages, balance board therapy, the gym, the salon, lots and lots of walks, and lunches out. I told my mom, “I don’t want you to never again see a sunset because you are sitting in your chair watching Fox News.”
Just over the hill from their home is Lake Palestine, where the sunsets are beautiful.
My now non-verbal mother still has a poet’s heart. I am constructing a team dedicated to infusing beauty into her days.
My once-brilliant jurist of a father, as it turns out, has a deformed tongue that resulted in a lifelong case of sleep apnea. The sleep specialist walked me through what happens, explaining that his brain cells are dying from lack of oxygen while he sleeps.
That makes so much sense.
We are hoping to fix that problem and stop that decline by the end of next week. I am constructing a team dedicated to movement and stimulatiion and fuller days.
I am hiring a tutor once a week for my precious little peanut, who isn’t little anymore. This will anchor our week and help her learn to interact with more people.
And, of course, someday I may have a remodeled kitchen.
Lots to look forward to!
One of my favorite things about you is your intentional care for the people in your life. My son’s first grade teacher started sending the “he’s having trouble with attention” notes home. Like your adjustments to home school, it caused me to switch off autopilot and drill down on what is really going on with him. I am pulling out some of my school OT tools and tests to aid me, Barrett, and his teacher in making the best learning experience we can. I don’t love that it took trouble at school to get me to pay attention. These sweet people are totally worth all the time you are pouring into their care and enrichment!
We rarely get snow here, so it is easy to see the beauty in it – without all the inconvenience! So good to hear that you are being able to organise routines and help for your parents – caring and maintaining quality of life is such a toughy! God bless you.
I hear you about the care of aging parents, Robin. 2020 was such a difficult year that it almost broke me. That I’m again alive and well is only by His grace.
For some reason that icicle picture made me smile. There is beauty in each season, isn’t there …
And yes, please to Brene’s wisdom and warm conversations. There’s always some kind of valuable take away.
So good to meet you this afternoon …
What beautiful photographs! I appreciated a meme that said “love it or hate it, the snow is still gonna be there. might as well love it.” I hope you and yours weren’t hit too hard by it all.
Robin, I enjoyed getting to know you a bit more through your Four Somethings post. You got my attention with this:: “Caring for aging and infirm parents is not for the faint of heart.” I hear you, my friend, loud and clear! Accompanying our parents on the long walk home can be so hard. I understand the sadness behind phrases like “my once-brilliant jurist of a father” and “my now non-verbal mother.” And I applaud your efforts to find ways to make the journey more pleasant for your loved ones.
The sunset over the lake is gorgeous. You are loving your parents and children well which is a beautiful inspiration.
Such pretty pictures – from icicles to sunsets!! Here’s to a month of more beautiful moments ahead!!
Hi Robin, nice to meet you. Sounds like you really had a busy and filled up month at your pace. I too took care of my aging parents years ago ( both have sinced passed). AT times it was frustrating, difficult, and exhausting, But I wouldn’t trade that time for anything. I like that you are setting up a team to assist your parents. March blessings to you.
Robin, it is a joy to have you back at Share Four Somethings! I always enjoy and am spurred by your words! I am so happy your homeschool is going well!! Yay!!