Friends and Family

I missed blogging last weekend because it was a family and friends weekend!

A dear friend that I have known for 40 years (since high school!) came for a visit with her husband.  They were going to a family wedding just north of where I live and had time to come and stay overnight.  Since they were coming, I also invited another friend who also went to high school with us, and lives not far from me, to come and bring her fiancé. It was a great visit.

We reminisced about old times, caught up on current times and generally had a great visit.  Even though our respective spouses have not known each other as long as we ladies have, we all had a great time.  At least I think we did.  I certainly did and I hope that they felt the same way.

Cavan (my sweetie) smoked three full racks of ribs and two chickens along with these huge potatoes that individually could have fed a village.  I got the easy part, and just prepared two different precut salads out bags.  One of the great inventions of our time!  The ladies were kind enough to help with all the tidying up, so it was pretty easy on me!

I have to say that it is nice to be able to get together.  We have kept in touch now and then over the years and it seems, when we get together, that none of us has really changed.  It is awesome!

So, that was the friends’ part of the weekend.  Sunday, of course, was Father’s Day.  My father and his girlfriend had gotten back from their Portugal/Spain trip just the previous weekend, so we got to see pictures and hear about their adventures.  Two of my brothers also visited and we had barbequed burgers, salad, etc.  It was lovely.

Dad and Sally have a lovely home in Napanee on the water.  It is always nice to sit in their backyard and watch the birds.  No swans this time, but lots of little finches.

I pray that everyone takes the time to visit with friends over the summer!  It is so nice to keep in touch!

A Cloudy, Rainy Sunday

It’s a rather gloomy, rainy Sunday and I’m having some trouble finding some energy to do anything today, I’m afraid.

I don’t know if it is being without the Copaxone for over three weeks, if I’m just imagining it, or if I was headed for feeling this way anyway, but I can’t even seem to concentrate to read more than a chapter at a time of my latest book.

I have always been an optimist, but today, it feels like the wind is out of my sails.

On the good side of things, I am down a couple of pounds and sticking to the paleo diet.  That makes me feel good, but the last three nights, I have had to sleep 11 hours and Friday afternoon, I even needed a two hour nap that I had a heck of a time trying to get up from.

I wonder if I just need a week of just resting.  To me, it feels like such an indulgence.  I can’t manage to work full time and nap every afternoon, so I have always been afraid to give in to an afternoon nap.

I know. I’m such a whiner!  I need to suck it up and carry on!  I need to give myself a pep talk and get on with it!

When is it time to say that I just can’t?

There are still some things I hope to do before the MS wins this energy battle.

I chuckle at work because the latest slogan at Enbridge is:  Life takes energy.  Well that’s pretty funny because that is the one thing that I seem to be in decreasing supply of.

Okay, here’s the pep talk:  Straighten up! You are needed, so get yourself together and carry on!  Meet the challenge head on like you always have and win!  Slap that smile on your face and show the world that you can do it!

Okay, back together again.

God willing, we will share in another week of blessings and get through whatever is thrown our way!

Birthdays

As I was writing out a card for my baby’s birthday today, I truly realize just how fast life is going by!  My baby is 23!  Of course my oldest daughter is 25.  Where has the time gone?  I know we have done many, many things over those years, but they seem to have gone by in the blink of an eye.

I read somewhere (probably Facebook!) of someone saying that they were holding their baby, they closed their eyes and when they opened them again, they were holding their grandchild!  It seems like that sometimes!

My own birthday always seems to depress me because it causes me to answer the question:  what have I really done with my life?  I have not contributed anything of significance to society, or the world, but I have not caused any major grief either, at least I hope not. 

When I am gone one day, will anyone say that I made a positive difference in their life?  I would like to think so, but would that be true?

What can we expect in life?  Some go through life with no real purpose—perhaps that’s me?  Some go through life and are driven to really accomplish something, some accomplishing their own personal goals for their own personal gain and some to really make a difference for someone else, or society at large.

I always relied on guidance from God I now believe, to make this choice, or that choice.  Not to accomplish anything big, but to touch other lives in at least a minor way, to do the little things.  Giving a smile on a bad day, a hand when they needed it, advice if they asked for it.

Lately, as my MS slows me down, I interact less and less with people.  Even those at work, I only interact with on the phone.  I still try to make a difference, but I feel my contributions are less and less significant.  Is this my cue to bow out?  Perhaps it is soon time to do that.  Is it time to find something more fulfilling in my own community to do?

Going through my finances, I see that it isn’t quite time for me to be able to do that, but soon. 

God bless everyone and may you all consider your choices carefully this week and make a difference to someone, no matter how small!