chocolate cake

 

Happy New Year! Happy Valentines Day! I lost a month. More like two. Actually three, to be exact. Long story short, my mom had medical challenges and three months later here we are, coming out the other side. Tonight we get to celebrate her 95th birthday at her new Assisted Living home.

Since she is also a Valentines Day baby, it is especially sweet she is doing much better and we know she has a fabulous group of minions helping her out. Besides my sister and myself. We’re good, but very human. We wear down.

So now that mom has more staff, we are trying to get back on track with our to do lists, right after we finish clearing out her apartment this next week. And sell the car. And sort paper files.

Can we chat about stuff? I had too much of my own mess before this move. Still haven’t cleaned out all the stuff from Mom’s prior move two years ago.

If you’re thinking about downsizing or moving, start cleaning out yesterday. But not my new craft supplies I purchased when I had five or ten minutes to kill between running errands, buying groceries, and helping mom. I call it craft therapy for when you don’t have time to get to an actual therapist.          

On this holiday I am grateful for family, friends, hugs and well wishes. Good thoughts helped too. Especially appreciated my friend Kathy helping me wrangle two bookcases, one LaZBoy, and a very stout round kitchen table into my house. My dad built the kitchen table in my youth and it could withstand a nuclear blast.

It also didn’t fit inside the hatchback. I volunteered to be ballast and we drove with the tabletop on the bumper and me holding on for dear life to the bottom pedestal. It was a long block, but we made it. Now Spec Ops Cat thinks he has a new cat enrichment gym. And I need to rearrange my house and get rid of more overstuffed chairs. Still stuff.

While we celebrate this day of giving thanks for love, I want to acknowledge all the good in this world. Especially by the people who give a small part of themselves when they don’t realize how much it can mean to a brain dead, exhausted caregiver unable to even do simple math. Bless you all.

Like texts from friends just checking in, when they know all you’ve got time for is to maybe send an emoji. And they still care.

Grocery checkers who smile at you and make you laugh, when you really need a lift to your spirits.

Medical professionals who can’t give you a definite answer, but try to help.

Your dentist gets you in pronto to fix a tooth you just broke in half eating a Wheat Thin.

Your brother-in-law figures out why the new GFCI plug isn’t working so you don’t have to keep manually hurking your garage door up and tripping over the extension cord running from the house to the freezer in the garage.

Les Schwab mechanic angels figure out your flashing low tire pressure light isn’t right, but it needs to be replaced. And they do it.

The two sets of craft stamps you really want and thought you missed, miraculously show up on a flying trip in and out of Tuesday Morning.

Chocolate chip cookies, Goobers, cinnamon toast, a Big Mac and fries. And I only started gaining weight this week. It’s back to chicken, broccoli and rice!

For all the caregivers out there, hugs and best wishes. There are no calories for you today. Really. Take a deep breath. Now another. You’ve earned it.

Yes, you can make a cake just for yourself. Or buy cupcakes, cookies, or anything else you need to cope. And there are free meditation lessons on YouTube.

Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day everybody!