Showing posts with label Saturday's Email of the Week. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saturday's Email of the Week. Show all posts

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Saturday's Email of the Week: When a Girl's Got To Go

Saturday's Email of the Week


Last week, I was picking on you boys out there. This week, I can't help but share this little jab at the ladies. I haven't quite hung my purse around my neck, but I am familiar with 'The Stance'. I know the rest of you ladies are too! Somehow it is just worse in a public bathroom as well. I don't have any qualms about doing my thing in the woods after dark (too much information - sorry), but present me with a questionable toilet seat and no toilet paper and the world is coming to an end, with me leading the parade! Ugh!! That is the reason why women always carry a purse full of crap by the way gentlemen. This has happened more than once to all of us.


I hope you have a lovely weekend. I survived my trek into the bush last weekend and shall be returning for another night of fun today. Happy Memorial Day to my American friends. Catch you later.


*~~~*

When you have to visit a public toilet, you usually find a line of women, so you smile politely and take your place. Once it's your turn, you check for feet under the cubicle doors. 


Every cubicle is occupied. 


Finally, a door opens and you dash in, nearly knocking down the woman leaving the cubicle. You get in to find the door won't latch. It doesn't matter, the wait has been so long you are about to wet your pants! 


The dispenser for the modern 'seat covers' (invented by someone's Mum, no doubt) is handy, but empty. You would hang your bag on the door hook, if there was one, so you carefully, but quickly drape it around your neck, (Mum would turn over in her grave if you put it on the FLOOR!) down with your pants and assume 'The Stance'. 


In this position, your aging, toneless, thigh muscles begin to shake. You'd love to sit down, but having not taken time to wipe the seat or to lay toilet paper on it, you hold 'The Stance'. 


To take your mind off your trembling thighs, you reach for what you discover to be the empty toilet paper dispenser. In your mind, you can hear your mother's voice saying, 'Dear, if you had tried to clean the seat, you would have KNOWN there was no toilet paper!' 


Your thighs shake more. 


You remember the tiny tissue that you blew your nose on yesterday - the one that's still in your bag (the bag around your neck, that now you have to hold up trying not to strangle yourself at the same time). That would have to do, so you crumple it in the puffiest way possible. It's still smaller than your thumbnail. 


Someone pushes your door open because the latch doesn't work. The door hits your bag, which is hanging around your neck in front of your chest and you and your bag topple backward against the tank of the toilet.  


'Occupied!' you scream, as you reach for the door, dropping your precious, tiny, crumpled tissue in a puddle on the floor, while losing your footing altogether and sliding down directly onto the TOILET SEAT. It is wet of course. You bolt up, knowing all too well that it's too late. Your bare bottom has made contact with every imaginable germ and life form on the uncovered seat because YOU never laid down toilet paper - not that there was any, even if you had taken time to try. You know that your mother would be utterly appalled if she knew, because you're certain her bare bottom never touched a public toilet seat because, frankly, dear, 'You just don't KNOW what kind of diseases you could get. 


By this time, the automatic sensor on the back of the toilet is so confused that it flushes, propelling a stream of water like a fire hose against the inside of the bowl and spraying a fine mist of water that covers your bum and runs down your legs and into your shoes. 


The flush somehow sucks everything down with such force and you grab onto the empty toilet paper dispenser for fear of being dragged in too. 


At this point, you give up. You're soaked by the spewing water and the wet toilet seat. You're exhausted. You try to wipe with a sweet wrapper you found in your pocket and then slink out inconspicuously to the sinks. 


You can't figure out how to operate the taps with the automatic sensors, so you wipe your hands with spit and a dry paper towel and walk past the line of women still waiting. 


You are no longer able to smile politely to them. A kind soul at the very end of the line points out a piece of toilet paper trailing from your shoe. (Where was that when you NEEDED it?) 


You yank the paper from your shoe, plonk it in the woman's hand and tell her warmly, 'Here, you just might need this. 


As you exit, you spot your hubby, who has long since entered, used and left the men's toilet. Annoyed, he asks, 'What took you so long and why is your bag hanging around your neck? 


This is dedicated to women everywhere who deal with any public toilets. It finally explains to the men what really does take us so long. It also answers that other commonly asked question about why women go to the toilets in pairs. It's so the other girl can hold the door, hang onto your bag and hand you Kleenex under the door. 


This HAD to be written by a woman! No one else could describe it so accurately.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Saturday's Email of the Week: More Manly

Saturday's Email of the Week

Well my men folk friends, I should save this for you for Father's Day, but I cannot wait that long. I technically came across this video due to an email that was sent to me by YouTube. It wasn't this video that I originally clicked through on, but this was the next one up and much funnier. Are you manly enough to handle it?

As for me today, I shall be heading out of town to celebrate our Canadian Long Weekend. Happy Victoria Day fellow Canucks! I will be pseudo-camping (in a trailer minus electricity or running water), but full-on enjoying the first official Canadian weekend of summer. You want to bet I will have an icy beer, a steak on the fire and my plaid wrapped around me after the sun goes down. Hoo baby, I cannot wait! The girls are excited to try their hand at fishing with my new Manly friend. I bet he will be able to handle an axe a little better than the manly man in this video though.

So if you are North of the border, enjoy all the sunshine that is forecasted to come our way my friends all weekend long. For those of you South of the border, you will get your turn next weekend. Patience! Have a super weekend everyone!



Saturday, May 5, 2012

Saturday's Email of the Week: ICU!

Saturday's Email of the Week

Well my friends, I haven't seen you on a Saturday in a while. How are you? I can guarantee you I am still in bed. Saturday's have become the Holy Grail of sleep in days for me as of late. I will have to get out of bed before noon, as Madame Mommy will have to become chauffeur to my princesses who have been invited to a birthday party. Lucky me had my eldest invited at the last minute, as the guest list was dwindling. I know that the hosts actually are doing me a favour and know it, because this then gives me 3 HOURS of freedom from the kids. Woohoo! No idea how I am going to spend those precious hours (finalizing my taxes? Nah!), but I hope to make the best of it.

So, I came across this email and thought I would share it with you. It did make me smile, as was suggested it would. With the full moon coming on and gray skies dominating the horizon, I needed that smile. Thank you Bill and thank you for stopping in today! Enjoy!

~~~

The famous Olympic skier Picabo Street (pronounced Pee-Ka-Boo) is not just an athlete. She is now a nurse currently working at an Intensive Care Unit of a large metropolitan hospital.

She is not permitted to answer the hospital telephones any longer.

It caused too much confusion when she would answer the phone and say, Picabo, I.C.U.

   A good clean joke is hard to find these days - pass it on!

   (Admit it .... you're smiling)


Saturday, February 11, 2012

Saturday's Email of the Week: Belly Laughs

Saturday's Email of the Week
So today is going to be a super crazy day. There will be yoga, birthday parties and babysitters to collect. I might be able to sleep in (yes, this was written last night), but once I am in motion, watch out! In fact, life seems to have sped up loads since the holidays. I suspect that you just may have guessed that by my sparse writing here. I have also had some new company that seems to have kept me entertained and away fromt he computer in my down time.

(Insert smiley face here)

So since I am smiling already and excited about going out for dinner tonight, I am going to share some smiles with you too. Nothing heavy or hardcore, just some honest to goodness belly laughs that tickled me. Hope you have a fabulous weekend all! 



Saturday, January 28, 2012

Saturday's Email of the Week: Namaste

Saturday's Email of the Week

Hello Saturday. Where did you come from? The week has melted away and left me with a weekend of activities to look forward to. Tonight I will be going to a local twitter, beer-tasting event where I will perhaps get a little networking in. Or at least try a new beer or two. Not too many though, as I have to take the girls to a birthday party tomorrow and have been told not to show up useless. I have to handle a glue gun, so therefore need to be on.

Hmm, hopefully I won't glue my fingers together...

So, this week I share a short video that struck my fancy. A friend sent me this and it just tickled my yoga bones. I have been lapse in my practice over the last six months, but returned to the mat recently. This felt like an affirmation that I am on the right path with re-embracing a yogic balance (in a weird kind of way). The scary thing is that I completely know and get everything she says. Does that make me a freak? Ha! Maybe, but I am okay with that!

I am off to the gym now for the kids' yoga class! Maybe grab a glass of wheat grass after (probably NOT!).

Namaste my friends! Have a blessed weekend.  ☺

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Saturday's Email of the Week: Beautiful People

Saturday's Email of the Week
Someone sent me this clip, asking if I felt it was true. For those of you unfamiliar with Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, she is considered the expert on grief studies and set the standard on the five stages of grief (in case you are curious, they are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. You don't necessarily go through all of them, but you might get hit with waves from any of them at any stage of your grief). I have read a lot of grief books and have come across her and her theories more than once. She has merit in her thoughts, but her rigid stages have been debated.

While I had not read this quote before, I thought I would share it with you today. What do you think? Do you have to suffer, struggle or battle strife to transform your soul into a beautiful thing? I can recognize some of these traits in myself, but was it due to my struggles or was it in me before? Can't anyone have a compassionate soul? I like to think I was compassionate before my grief journey, but was it ingrained in my soul early due to the loss of my father at an early age? I know that I get swarmed by children on the playground, as soon as I am spied. Is that because these young humans see my gentle soul and can't help but respond to it?

Well, I just might ponder this a little more on my road trip this afternoon, but I am curious what you think. Would you care to weigh in?

Thoughts?



Saturday, January 7, 2012

Saturday's Email of the Week: With Gratitude...

Saturday's Email of the Week
The holidays have come and as of Monday will be gone again. They certainly shook up schedules, routines and the like while they were brewing and playing out. That is how it is though and I guess I wouldn't change it. So while this week more poetry flowed out of me than has in a while, work related prose was limited. That included my trips to Africa. Hmm, I sense a link. I guess we need to pay the bills somehow though, so what will be, will be. Monday and a return to schedules will happen soon enough.

In the mean time, baking, presents, cheerful time spent with friends and family has left me tightly in Christmas Land and far from Africa. For that I am a little sad, but tomorrow is always a new day. With my African tale almost at a close, I wonder whether I should just finish it off solo, saving the ending for you folks for the hard copy when it comes out or continue through my last few days on the continent with you safely stowed in my dufflebag. Hardly fair, especially for those of you who have been with me from when I sat waiting for the call. And really, without you this tale might not have seen fruition at all, if not for your steady encouragement. That is truth and if nothing else comes from this writing experience here in this online sphere, I thank you all who stop by here regularly, on occasion or just at random. I am at the culmination of a lifelong dream and you helped to make it possible. On my own, this book would have made it to page 12 or 21 at best. Whether you have read every page or not, you dear folks have been along the bumpy trail of almost 200 pages now. In fact, once pictures are added and proper page breaks are tucked in place, I am pretty sure this little adventure memoir will actually be a sale-able length. Again, I question whether I could have done this myself and knowing my track record with stick-to-it-iveness, somehow doubt it. Bless you all. I am truly grateful.

As it is Saturday, and I believe I have missed a few of them over the last couple of weeks, I am going to dig through my inbox and see if there is anything worthwhile to share with you folks today. Give me a second...

...
...
...

Well, as I seem to be all about gratitude and reflection today, how about this feel-good one about Feng Shui. It came from my Mother and could have been deleted without even reading more than the first line, but I actually took the time to scan, then read through them all. You certainly don't have to read them, but you might find one or two that resonate with you that you can take into the rest of your day. Regardless, thank you for being a part of my life today.
Peace,
Katherine

Feng Shui



ONE.  Give  people more than they expect and do it  cheerfully.

TWO.  
Marry  a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get  older, their conversational skills will be as  important as any other. 
THREE.  Don't  believe all you hear, spend all you have or  sleep all you want. 
FOUR.  When  you say, 'I love you,' mean  it.  
FIVE...  
When  you say, 'I'm sorry,' look the person in the  eye.. 
SIX.  
Be  engaged at least six months before you get  married. 
SEVEN.  
Believe  in love at first  sight.  
EIGHT.  
Never  laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have  dreams don't have much.  
NINE...  
Love  deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but  it's the only way to live life completely.  
TEN..  
In  disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.  
ELEVEN.
  Don't  judge people by their  relatives.  
TWELVE.  Talk  slowly but think  quickly.  
THIRTEEN. When  someone asks you a question you don't want to  answer, smile and ask, 'Why do you want to  know?' 
FOURTEEN.  Remember  that great love and great achievements involve  great risk. 
FIFTEEN.  Say  'bless you' when you hear someone sneeze.  
SIXTEEN.  
When  you lose, don't lose the  lesson.  
SEVENTEEN.  
Remember  the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for  others; and Responsibility for all your actions.  
EIGHTEEN.  
Don't  let a little dispute injure a great friendship.  
NINETEEN.  When  you realize you've made a mistake, take  immediate steps to correct  it.  
TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone.  The caller will hear it in your voice  
TWENTY-  ONE. Spend  some time alone.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Saturday's Email of the Week: Dreaming of a White Christmas

Saturday's Email of the Week

Twas the night before Christmas
and I've still lots to do
So I'll leave you with comics
while I vacuum & mop too.

The cookies are baked
and presents, well mostly wrapped
Next, onto the bedroom
where fresh sheets shall be slapped.

As time, it is fading
I cannot stay long
but I wish you holiday greetings
and hope good health keeps you strong

Now back to my turmoil
and the basement of horror
but Santa bells will soon free me
from any more work tomorrow.

Merry Christmas my friends!
I fear that the only snow I will see this Christmas is the snow in these cartoons
So, while I can't get the kids to make some of these crazy snowmen
I am sure I can keep them busy doing something
Here's hoping your holidays 
are merry and bright

Love
Katherine
















Saturday, December 17, 2011

Saturday's Email of the Week: Friends Forever

Saturday's Email of the Week



Day sped away 
gym, glowing games & gabbing girls
friends ♥ forever
~

I have a very good friend of mine visiting today, so have been away from the computer. Wonderful, but I noticed that I didn't have anything prepared for you. Ack! As I have spent many an hour laughing, giggling and chatting the night and day away, this little joke is all that I have come up with on last notice. You are lucky that I love you all and am willing to share this little Christmas present that I got.

Merry Christmas ladies!

(Pst. Shall I send him your way when I am done with him Ron?)


Santa sent me an email stating he's tired of delivering toys.  That he's too old to be flying all night across the globe and that starting this Christmas, he's sending his son, Santa Jr. . . .   
HO HO HO . . . .
Merry Christmas my dear friends, behave so that Santa Jr. goes down your . . .chimney  :)

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Saturday's Email of the Week: Hurry Love

Saturday's Email of the Week
 
Happy Saturday my friends. The week fairly flew by, it seemed. The blur is hard to even stop and put a finger on. There was a Holiday concert at school, which entailed a quick visit from Grandma and Grandpa for the show. I lounged at the salon, shopped till I dropped and made time for coffee with friends on more than one occasion. I might have got a little bit of work done, but it feels like it was despite myself. Who has time to work with a date at the museum, a visit from the window repair man and SNOW to appreciate! This weekend isn't going to slow down much either, as a Christmas tree hunting we shall go, followed by some hard-core decorating of our prize. Welcome to the hustle bustle of the holidays, I guess. How about taking 2 minutes for a chuckle before you throw yourself into the rest of your weekend? It just seems appropriate too, what with a few dates under my belt as of late. And NO, there is nothing to tell yet, but you will be the first to know, I'm sure. Cheers!
 


Saturday, December 3, 2011

Saturday's Email of the Week: Can the Funny Bone Cure the Common Cold?

Saturday's Email of the Week
It's Saturday and I am still sick. Just a cold mind you, but snotty as ever & its been almost a week now. I wouldn't mind so much, but with a lower than usual energy level the house has taken a toll. Confetti litters the living room floor, remnants from the snowflakes that now hang gaily on the window above. Counterspace is hitting max load in the kitchen, almost too much for this poor soul to bear. I don't even dare look at the kid's playroom.


groan...


But I shall ignore it all a little longer, as the girls head to roll and tumble the last of the morning away. I myself will see if I can sweat out the last of my germs while I am at it. And despite thinking that all the emails that I received this week were not worthy to share, upon second look there are a few nuggets in there that offer a smile or two. Actually there were three from a certain blogger friend of mine that all made me smile. She even got a spotlight on a community poetry blog that has been rocking the web as of late. The one that I am most interested in though, holds some links to a story that she promises will touch my heart. I can't wait! Plus there was a cute animated advent calendar from a distant aunt, a notice for a new writing contest (Canadians only!) that I am mulling over, updates from clients and a barrage of emails regarding Christmas drinks with my book club. What to choose though?

Well, this one from my aunt got a giggle. Hope you have a great weekend!
~~~


Just in case you need a laugh:
Remember it takes a college degree to fly a plane ... but only a high school diploma to fix one ... a reassurance to those of us who fly routinely.

After every flight ... UPS pilots fill out a form ... called a 'gripe sheet' ... which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft.

The mechanics correct the problems ... document their repairs on the form ... and then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight.

Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor.

Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by UPS pilots (marked with a P) and the solutions recorded (marked with an S) by maintenance engineers.
By the way ... UPS is the only major airline that has never ... ever ... had an accident.


P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.
*
P: Test flight OK ... except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.
*
P: Something loose in cockpit.
S: Something tightened in cockpit.
*
P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.
*
P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200-feet-per-minute descent.
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground..
*
P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.
*
P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.
*
P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what friction locks are for.
*
P: IFF inoperative in OFF mode.
S: IFF is always inoperative in OFF mode.
*
P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you're right.
*
P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.
*
P: Aircraft handles funny. (I love this one!)
S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right and be serious.
*
P:Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.
*
P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.
*
And the best one for last
*
P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from the midget.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Saturday's Email of the Week: First Dates

Saturday's Email of the Week

Its Saturday. And I feel like torturing myself today, so am going to share some of what I got up to last night. You see, I went on a date yesterday. Ooooh aaaaah! I know - wow. pffft

Well, I fussed about what to wear. I donned makeup & even let my girls dictate that I wear lipstick. I own the stuff, but have to admit that it doesn't get a lot of "face time". Har, har, bad pun. If you know me though, it just usually doesn't happen. But last night, you better believe it did! Oh, and I even put on a pair of pantyhose. For my dear gentlemen readers, I am pretty sure you designed the crazy things, as they are really quite the uncomfortable item, if you have to wear them for any period of time. Sure they help to aid as a tummy tuck if necessary or hide less than smooth legs, but really! Anyway, thank God I noticed that I had a run in them when I got home. I am sure I could have laughed through that at the time, but once home they were Off & then GONE! But, I must note that I did opt for them for the affair.

So we set a date, picked a location to meet and right off the hop, the location wouldn't work. You see date night has to work around my kids, first and foremost. I had arranged for them to be at a gymnastics outing that was a 3hr affair, therefore I had time constraints. The first restaurant of choice required reservations or a time slot that didn't work with my child are arrangements. Damn, this dating stuff is hard work! But the crux of the story is that this my friends was a first date. In fact, my first date in a good long time. And you know what? It was darn awkward! Lord, I felt weird. Essentially it was a blind date, so we had to try and get through the " Hi, nice to meet you" phase. shake hands here. Then what to order and what to talk about and ...

yeah, it was just weird. But I can now lay claim to a first date. And no, there was no mad passionate kiss that swooped me off my feet at the end of it, in case you were wondering. Suggestions were made to chat again, but I am wondering about that whole spark factor. Bah! I wish there was an easier way. Anyone on here single? Got any single friends in the Canada region? Kind of a big place, being the 2nd biggest country in the world and all, but I have been known to go on a road trip or two. So what have I learned from all this?





Saturday, November 19, 2011

Saturday's Email of the Week: Wan Chocletz?

Saturday's Email of the Week

Oh, hello Saturday! You have snuck up on me again. The week has breezed by, but thankfully we are home this weekend to relax. Err, well to sleep in anyway. Got leaves raked, window repairs estimated and lunch in a with friend I haven't seen in months. All in all, a good week.

Today, kids will be rolling, tumbling, then painting hot on the heels of gym class. Me, I will spend my hour sweating, then pick up a girlfriend to shop for some reasonably priced Christmas presents. Woohoo! Sunday will see some well-deserved downtime, but more than blissfully there were no major catastrophic events of the week. My visit with Grammy went well (much better than expected) last weekend. Parent-teacher interviews went well. Drumming went well and I might have a new iron in the fire as far as work goes. No complaints!

How was your week? Any deaths, births, new jobs or friends to boast of? How about a book finished or a bully squashed? Well, they can't all be banner weeks, I guess.

Oh, you want to know the best part of my week! I mopped the floor!




And what you all have been waiting for; drum roll please....

My EMAIL OF THE WEEK! Happy Saturday!!!!

()~~~()

I'm passing this on because it worked for me today. 


A Dr. on TV said to have inner peace we should finish things we started and we all could use more calm in our lives. 


I looked around my house to find things I'd started & hadn't finished, so I finished off a bottle of Merlot, a bottle of Chardonnay, a bodle of Baileys, a butle of wum, tha mainder of Valiuminun scriptins, an a box a chocletz.Yu haf no idr how fablus I feel rite now. Sned this to all who need inner piss. An telum u luvum


()~~~()


And I couldn't resist this video (mostly because of the last ad - that will be me sooner than I would like). Cheers!




Saturday, November 12, 2011

Saturday's Email of the Week: Remember to Breathe

Saturday's Email of the Week

Today I will be going on another road trip. I may have seen my sister last weekend, as well as my mother, but we will all be gathering again to celebrate my sister's upcoming birthday. That is what we do. There will be laughter, dinner and more than likely some cards to be played, long before we crawl into bed for the night. Fun, but nothing especially remarkable. 

I shall be going in early tomorrow though, as my sister and I have a little road trip planned. We will arrive, hug our Mom, wave goodbye to our children, then get back into a vehicle and drive away. We are going to see my Grandmother. She will not be joining us for dinner, even though I will almost drive by her new home on the way to my Mother's. No. Sadly, it is beyond her now. 

Last weekend, my Grandmother moved into a nursing home. She had been living in a retirement home, but was not getting on there anymore. She is pretty much at the point, where she is unable to function in a gathering, such as a family dinner. She is out of touch with current events, cannot remember what is going on in the lives of her grandchildren, let alone her great-grandchildren and pretty much doesn't even care anymore. Not that she doesn't us. I know in my heart that she does, but time has been cruel. 

My grandmother has Dementia. 

It came on gradually. She forgot what she had bought at the grocery store and bought multiple items of it. Food rotted in her fridge. When the fire department had to be called because she left a pot on the stove to boil and forgot about it, we moved her closer to my Mom, so that she would have someone to look out for her. She also moved into a retirement facility, so that she would get better care. Her meals were provided for her, her laundry done and general housekeeping performed. But it was not enough. Her short-term memory doesn't last much more than five minutes and she is getting angry. She is quick to snap at anyone and disagreeable to the nth degree. I can theoretically understand it, as I think I would be defensive and perhaps a little snappish if I couldn't remember things and people kept treating me like a child. That is theory though. In reality, I don't think she even understands what she is doing when she attacks the workers with a vicious tongue. Or when she stares at family with such fight in her eyes that it feels like hate. I struggle with that. I know I should be understanding, but when she vehemently attacks words of truth, turning them into falsities that we all know are fake, my tongue bleeds as I try to prevent words from flying out. 

You know me. Words are my strong point. My Grandmother's anger, the dementia that has turned her into a nasty and negative shell of who she once was, is so hard to deal with. She taught me never to tell a lie. And I learned those lessons well. Now I struggle not to counteract the words that come out of her mouth. I am ashamed to say that I don't always do a very good job of that. 

So tomorrow my sister and I will go to visit my Grandma. I won't take my children, as I don't want to explain her words that sound like lies, but are in truth the warped reality that is the world of dementia. We will lean on each other, as we pay our respects to this woman who was once such a powerful influence on my life. She taught me how to bake and attempted teaching me to knit. I watched her cook, can and smoke anything that she came across and loved those lessons more than anything as I grew up. Now I will offer platitudes and bring up memories of days gone long ago. For the past is the only place where she lives now. I tear up now, but hope that I have the strength not to get dragged into a fight there. I shall just have to remember to breathe. Smile and breathe.

And keep this video that my Mother emailed me in my head. 


Happy Saturday all.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Saturday's Email of the Week: Scars

Saturday's Email of the Week

Saturday has arrived again. I have to say that I am glad to see the week go. There wasn't anything extraordinary about this past week. The week before was rough though and I was riding out the after-effects from it all this week. Do you ever have those moments? Pushing yourself to survive in the middle of a crisis, only to be limp and stumble once you can breathe again? Well, that's me. I can handle crisis. I can be strong and stand up to do what I feel I have to do. Sometimes I might want to hide under a rock or run in the other direction, but I know when I have to face something.

Last week I did.

I put my cat down, then went to a family member's funeral with the girls a few days later. I didn't have to go to the funeral. It was my husband's grandmother, whom I haven't had much of a relationship with since Brad died, but I felt that I should for the kid's sake. Not that they knew her either. And not that they truly cared that she died. I don't say that to be callous, but they are 5 & 6 and not emotionally invested in a relationship that didn't have any flesh and bones to it.  Sad, but true and there is nothing that I can do about that now. What I could do though was take them to the funeral to meet some of their other relatives that are still around. Again, they weren't invested in the experience, but I suspect that some day they will be grateful that I made the effort. Perhaps they will be able to gain a new relationship with some of those family members down the road, that would not have occurred without my intervention. Or not, but I felt like it was my last opportunity to reach out and make that effort, so I grasped a hold of it.

This week, I have suffered for it all. I miss my cat. I dragged up old broken relationships with other members of the kids family, that would seem to be beyond repair forever now. I flogged myself for not being able to fix it all and make it better. But I have to move beyond that. I accept that time has moved on, because I have to, but still feel broken by those failed relationships. It is out of my hands though, so I must let it go. This week I had to process that though and try to shake myself away from feeling bad at kin lost. I have to accept my failings and those of others, and say "it is alright". I have to say and pinch myself until I believe it that "I am alright". Because I am. I cannot bring back a lost kitty, lost grandparents or great-grandparents. But I can accept them, grieve the losses, and be strong enough to let my children see that grief and the resilience that comes with moving on. I have to, because I love them more than anything and they deserve to have a parent that is as stable and imperfect as I can be.

So I guess this week was about healing. It can be an ugly process and I often disparage myself as I move through it. In healing though, once the scar has served its purpose, it falls off to show the fresh new skin underneath. It might be thinner, but it will thicken in time and those scars will be almost invisible to the naked eye. I guess that is what I am gunning for. I have an ugly coat around me, but it will fall off to reveal a beautiful new me underneath. That is the hope anyway.

Peace


Here is my handshake for you.

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