I came up on Friday to visit my Dad as he turned 76 this week. We’re taking him out tonight to celebrate and I couldn’t be happier. However, to my Dad, it’s just another year, which makes me very sad.
I read an article once about how an older man had cared for his wife until the end and it made me cry. What really made me cry was to realize that article could have been written about my father. I’ll relate a little of the story here.
My parents married when they were fairly young and lived in a small Ohio town where they raised their children, me and my brother, until 1969 when they moved us to the southwest and Sin City. My parents did everything together and a day didn’t go by without them saying they loved one another. Yeah, living with my parents was hard at times but I always knew they loved us.
Fast forward to when my mother turned 53 and Dad 58. They were going to retire but Mom had been having issues for a few years. Lots of memory problems and I knew where that one was headed. She asked me once if I thought she was going crazy and all I could say was I knew she was ill. They had it confirmed when she was 53...Alzheimer’s...and medicine she couldn’t take. My father dug in for the long haul and cared for her until her death in 2005. He was then and still now, my hero. If you ever read a book called The Dragon’s Lady in the near future about a dragon named Alfred, you’ll know that’s for my Dad.
That same year my mother died, Dad fell in love with a wonderful woman who loved to travel and hanging out with him. I didn’t know Patti well but the very fact she made my Dad happy after the experience with my mother, made me joyous. Unfortunately, she had a reoccurrence of her cancer and died August of the same year as my mother.
Dad was devastated and I didn’t know how to help him at all. I would have taken all his pain away if I could. I would have done it for him but I couldn’t. He stayed here in Nevada for another year and a half before he pulled up stakes and moved to Idaho to be near my brother. We helped him buy a home there and try to get to visit him as much as we can. The pictures are from our various travels there. It’s cool and green and I like it to a point. The mountains are much too far in my opinion so I could never live where he does, but I could live close. LOL!
We’ve had a great visit so far and hope to have many more! Have you talked to your parent(s) today? If not, make the effort...it’ll do wonders for your heart...have a great day!
See you all tomorrow!
Lynn
You know Sundays are meant for sleeping, breakfast in bed and great trysts before the whole house wakes up. Sigh. Now, it’s been years since I’ve had that type of Sunday morning and today more than ever, I am missing it. And I want it. Sigh.
Instead, I’m woke at the crack of dawn by a dog who wants to jog like he does every morning. Even just letting him out to do his thing will not get rid of the need to go out for a run. What’s with him? I’ve heard this from tons of people recently that jogging is good for you. Really? In my case, my boobs bounce, the fat jiggles and my shins remind me every moment why I should not jog at all.
Me, I’m a walker, a hiker and I just love those long romantic walks. Yeah, who am I kidding. We used to go to the mountains or one of the many walking trails around my home at least once a weekend. Not any more. Now it’s a hurry up and rush around to do what we need to do then to fall into bed tired. What is it when you get to middle age and everything is more important than taking care of yourself? I just don’t get it at all.
I don’t know who or what inspired to really get it together to lose weight. I mean, I know ultimately it was me as I am tired of being fat but for weeks I watched on Twitter as Shiloh Walker informed us about her run. I’m thinking ‘Ugh. Are you kidding?’ but when I saw she didn’t like it any more than I liked losing weight, I knew I had to get my nose in the grindstone and get it done.
Finally, I started walking and it’s made all the difference especially now that I’m on a maintenance part of the food portion. Now, I have to set the nearly thirty pounds I’ve lost into my system so it won’t want it back. LOL! So far so good. I’m maintaining within a 1-2 pound weight and some days I lose a little more.
What does this have to do with Sundays? Everything. We do family day on this day. I got see my oldest and my grandsons. They all want to eat where they want: fast food, Red Robin or maybe even Buffalo Wild Wings. I have become the ultimate dieter when it comes to those places. I know what I can get and how much. They were all surprised on Sunday when we went to Buffalo Wild Wings and I ordered the chicken grilled salad without cheese or dressing or croutons. That was a hard week as I love wings. Sigh.
When I finally got up this morning, I thought about where we’d eat today then I decided while the husband and dog were jogging, I’d dance in my office. When I was younger, I stayed slim because we went out dancing every Friday or Saturday. I don’t know about you all but I can remember the sweat pouring from me not matter what I drank. So, I have a track on my iTunes I call the dance track and the moment I saw them leave the front yard, I pulled the head phones out of the jack and played some of those songs.
There’s a freedom when one dances that you can’t get with anything else. I love that freedom and I love the fact I have an office big enough to allow me to do this as much as I want. Freedom is a great thing and I love I can exercise that right in any way I want every day. Don’t you?
I know for many of you Sunday is church day and it was until I was about twenty. Then church and I had a parting of the ways. Things were said that couldn’t be taken back and I decided it wasn’t for me any more. I love the way I feel when I’m outdoors and know that’s church enough for me. But I don’t want to deter for those who do spend time in their place of worship. Everyone needs something for their spiritual growth.
What are the things about Sunday that you love? Do you do anything special on Sundays?
Winners of July's contest will be announced tomorrow...I'm just too lazy today...LOL!
Hope you all have a fantastic Sunday...see you tomorrow!
Lynn
