My mom was incredible like your mom, danced and enjoyed every minute of life she had. She passed away the week before Thanksgiving. I'm sorry for your loss, I too am feeling very sad. My mom danced as long as she could and enjoyed her friends and family very much. I didn't get cards out this year and shopped very little. I miss talking with her everyday, in fact several times a day. She was my best friend even though I have a brother and two sister. I was incredibly close to mom. I feel blessed to have had her. She touched many lives. Only those lucky enough to have a mother like that truly appreciates what they have.
Mamma Mia is a great movie, my partner and I saw it twice consecutively. It's refreshing. He has the Abba DVD. After a week of the heat and with little money for a beach get away, I spent the day buying snacks and preparing my beach getaway. Where you ask? In my livingroom. His only note in his lunchbox was to come home to the sandy beaches away from the heat. He wondered where the sand would come from? Well, I bought little umbrellas and made a strawberry, lo-cal smoothie to hand to him when he walked in the door. I spread a sheet on the floor. I put on my sarong and greeted him with Abba songs to our beach getaway. Only one rule, no phones, no TV, no outside interruptions. There on the floor were photos of every size from beaches we have visited, shells, coconut, rocks, and starfish we have collected from the beaches. Flowers and a plate of cheese and crackers(I made a delicious light Shrimp Penne for dinner). Then as we rocked the night away to Abba, our ailing mothers, our adult children, stress from the outside world all went away.It was wonderful and worth the effort.No, it didn't cost gas, or plane fair, but I couldn't have had a more wonderful evening anywhere else or felt so relaxed. Oh by the way, all those Saturday errands we always run today were not done, we are continuing our relaxing vacation with very little interruptions. In fact, tomorrow after church, we plan to continue. Maybe when we go back to life on Monday we will have felt more rested than the past year or any vacation we have taken thus far. I highly recommend it. The only reason I'm typing this very fast, is that perhaps one of you can still salvage a few hours in your beach getaway weekend!
Good for you! I take mine to the indoor pool. I try to go when it's not busy. I've taught aqua aerobics for 20 years and I love the way the pool stretches me, relaxes me, and exercises me without impact to my fibromyalgia, arthritis, and bad knees. I get lost in my thoughts as I think about being on the beach in Honolulu or Maui and when my kids were young how busy I was. I start out slow, then work out jogging and jumping jacks, next I do laps and really jog hard in deep water. An hour can pass so quickly when you are doing what you love and water is so relaxing than I come away refresed. I have done this since I was 32. By the way, I'm a size 10-12, not afraid to get in a suit and wouldn't care who saw anyway after giving birth to 3 sons I'm proud of my body!
My mom had a rough year. She had respitory failure and although she is doing better, I and my brother have always been helpful, but this year we are seeing how much more we can really do. She has a positive outlook, always has and is a strongwilled woman much to her favor. She's a little bitty woman and very capable of doing most things herself. Her chores and some housework is out of the question this year, however.
The only problem I've encontered are my sisters. One lives in Colorado and the other one is disabled herself. They ask what they can do, but I really feel they are saying, I hope you don't need me! Thank goodness my brother is right there as well as his wife and my boyfriend to help.
She has lived longer than any of her previouis relatives and determined to live forever. This is fortunate because we certainly enjoy her spite and happiness. She does get a little down sometimes, but she brings herself up and does a pep talk and gets busy doing whatever makes her happy. Maybe cooking takes a little longer, or a craft, or just getting dressed, but whatever the task she does her best. As I have watched her struggle and her task of getting back on her feet I wonder, do I have what it takes to be that kind of woman? I sure hope so! She has been a role model for me for as long as I can remember.
So when I start thinking how hard something is or how stressed I am, I remember, she came through the depression, WWII, poverty, raised 4 kids with my dad, and has survived cancer. Yet with her positive outlook she still gets up each morning with a smile on her face.
While caring for a loved one we need to remember how hard they worked for us. It's a priveledge and an honor to give back a little. Do I get tired? Do I get down about it? Of course, but then I have another 30 years to go to get to that positive outlook on life. I can only hope I am as strong emotionally as she is. This older generation deserves tons of respect and adhoration.
When I was young and right out of high school I knew I wanted to have children and work with children. Well here I am in my 50's and doing exactly that.I am working with special needs children, especially autistic and loving every exhausting moment. I had three wonderful sons and will soon have my first grandchild. How lucky am I? I'm the luckiest woman on the face of the earth. Was it easy?Well.. of course the transition wasn't easy. Nothing in life is. After two divorces, losing all my life savings and finances I thought my life had taken me over. However, after keeping faith in my family, sons, friends, and certainly God, I found out it was just life giving me a test. What mattered most? Was it my "things" in life, my self worth, my being? Or just that I needed to get up and start over again. Easy? No! Impossible? It seemed like it. But it wasn't in the end, life is about being all you can be. I can only hope in the past 50 years I have left part of myself behind in a good way. Hopefully I will be remembered as the person who helped people that needed it. I have never felt better in my life. I'm the lucky one!
karensp69 (anonymous) says...
My mom was incredible like your mom, danced and enjoyed every minute of life she had. She passed away the week before Thanksgiving. I'm sorry for your loss, I too am feeling very sad. My mom danced as long as she could and enjoyed her friends and family very much. I didn't get cards out this year and shopped very little. I miss talking with her everyday, in fact several times a day. She was my best friend even though I have a brother and two sister. I was incredibly close to mom. I feel blessed to have had her. She touched many lives. Only those lucky enough to have a mother like that truly appreciates what they have.
On For My Mother…
December 28, 2008 at 5:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
karensp69 (anonymous) says...
Mamma Mia is a great movie, my partner and I saw it twice consecutively. It's refreshing. He has the Abba DVD. After a week of the heat and with little money for a beach get away, I spent the day buying snacks and preparing my beach getaway. Where you ask? In my livingroom. His only note in his lunchbox was to come home to the sandy beaches away from the heat. He wondered where the sand would come from? Well, I bought little umbrellas and made a strawberry, lo-cal smoothie to hand to him when he walked in the door. I spread a sheet on the floor. I put on my sarong and greeted him with Abba songs to our beach getaway. Only one rule, no phones, no TV, no outside interruptions. There on the floor were photos of every size from beaches we have visited, shells, coconut, rocks, and starfish we have collected from the beaches. Flowers and a plate of cheese and crackers(I made a delicious light Shrimp Penne for dinner). Then as we rocked the night away to Abba, our ailing mothers, our adult children, stress from the outside world all went away.It was wonderful and worth the effort.No, it didn't cost gas, or plane fair, but I couldn't have had a more wonderful evening anywhere else or felt so relaxed. Oh by the way, all those Saturday errands we always run today were not done, we are continuing our relaxing vacation with very little interruptions. In fact, tomorrow after church, we plan to continue. Maybe when we go back to life on Monday we will have felt more rested than the past year or any vacation we have taken thus far. I highly recommend it. The only reason I'm typing this very fast, is that perhaps one of you can still salvage a few hours in your beach getaway weekend!
On For your convenience
August 2, 2008 at 4:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
karensp69 (anonymous) says...
Good for you! I take mine to the indoor pool. I try to go when it's not busy. I've taught aqua aerobics for 20 years and I love the way the pool stretches me, relaxes me, and exercises me without impact to my fibromyalgia, arthritis, and bad knees. I get lost in my thoughts as I think about being on the beach in Honolulu or Maui and when my kids were young how busy I was. I start out slow, then work out jogging and jumping jacks, next I do laps and really jog hard in deep water. An hour can pass so quickly when you are doing what you love and water is so relaxing than I come away refresed. I have done this since I was 32. By the way, I'm a size 10-12, not afraid to get in a suit and wouldn't care who saw anyway after giving birth to 3 sons I'm proud of my body!
On Best workout playlist ever
August 2, 2008 at 3:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
karensp69 (anonymous) says...
My mom had a rough year. She had respitory failure and although she is doing better, I and my brother have always been helpful, but this year we are seeing how much more we can really do. She has a positive outlook, always has and is a strongwilled woman much to her favor. She's a little bitty woman and very capable of doing most things herself. Her chores and some housework is out of the question this year, however.
The only problem I've encontered are my sisters. One lives in Colorado and the other one is disabled herself. They ask what they can do, but I really feel they are saying, I hope you don't need me! Thank goodness my brother is right there as well as his wife and my boyfriend to help.
She has lived longer than any of her previouis relatives and determined to live forever. This is fortunate because we certainly enjoy her spite and happiness. She does get a little down sometimes, but she brings herself up and does a pep talk and gets busy doing whatever makes her happy. Maybe cooking takes a little longer, or a craft, or just getting dressed, but whatever the task she does her best. As I have watched her struggle and her task of getting back on her feet I wonder, do I have what it takes to be that kind of woman? I sure hope so! She has been a role model for me for as long as I can remember.
So when I start thinking how hard something is or how stressed I am, I remember, she came through the depression, WWII, poverty, raised 4 kids with my dad, and has survived cancer. Yet with her positive outlook she still gets up each morning with a smile on her face.
While caring for a loved one we need to remember how hard they worked for us. It's a priveledge and an honor to give back a little. Do I get tired? Do I get down about it? Of course, but then I have another 30 years to go to get to that positive outlook on life. I can only hope I am as strong emotionally as she is. This older generation deserves tons of respect and adhoration.
On Taking care of the caregiver
April 4, 2008 at 2:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
karensp69 (anonymous) says...
When I was young and right out of high school I knew I wanted to have children and work with children. Well here I am in my 50's and doing exactly that.I am working with special needs children, especially autistic and loving every exhausting moment. I had three wonderful sons and will soon have my first grandchild. How lucky am I? I'm the luckiest woman on the face of the earth. Was it easy?Well.. of course the transition wasn't easy. Nothing in life is. After two divorces, losing all my life savings and finances I thought my life had taken me over. However, after keeping faith in my family, sons, friends, and certainly God, I found out it was just life giving me a test. What mattered most? Was it my "things" in life, my self worth, my being? Or just that I needed to get up and start over again. Easy? No! Impossible? It seemed like it. But it wasn't in the end, life is about being all you can be. I can only hope in the past 50 years I have left part of myself behind in a good way. Hopefully I will be remembered as the person who helped people that needed it. I have never felt better in my life. I'm the lucky one!
On Where do I go from here?
February 27, 2008 at 5:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )