Elena 
I feel kind of silly still doing these since the Simple Woman site is shut down for the summer. I’m not sure why I continue to link to it except we were asked to. At this point I guess I am really keeping it up because I enjoy doing these, and it makes a nice snap shot of my life every week, and because I miss it when I don’t. Maybe my kids will enjoy reading these in the future.
Outside my window…
Sun and blue skies and I finally have come to appreciate it after this long winter and bitter spring.
I am thinking…
one of my friends called me an “Obama hater.” It kind of surprised me because I really truly, can say from the bottom of my heart do not hate anybody. I have hated before. Hate takes an incredible amount of time, effort and energy. Hate can be completely consuming. I do not even hate my EFC! At this particular point in my life I simply don’t have it in me to hate anyone, even when provoked. President Obama seems like a pleasant guy. He has a great sense of humor and I think we have some things in common like marriage, parenthood, pride in our heritages. He comes across as approachable. But our world views are 180 degrees apart and I strongly disagree with most everything he supports. I still think it is possible to do that without hate. Maybe that’s something else we have in common.
I am thankful for… good health and a thrifty husband. The van he bought on eBay is wonderful!
From the learning rooms…we are in the big push to get work done before our assessment.Gabe and I have completed two assignments in the Bravewriter Kid’s Write Basic Class. I also signed Sam up for this online class studying Chaucer.
From the kitchen…Chicken Alfredo.
I am wearing…new black capris and a white T-shirtbut I have an appointment with an attorney today to go over stuff on my mom’s estate so I’ll probably exchange the capris for a skirt.
I am creating… so peace and order to the balance of my mother’s estate, I hope.
I am going… to be doing more cleaning and organizing and exercising!
I am reading…
Grieving the Death of a Mother
I have written before about grief and grieving and some things to say or not say to someone who is bereaved, but my experience with mom’s death have added some things to my perspective. This part really touched me.
As a grief educator, I encourage thorough grief. No “light” grief, no short cuts, and no time off for good behavior; the day-in day-out work of grief is necessary and important. Unfortunately, I grieve in a society that aggressively limits grief that reprimands, “You should be over your mother’s death by now” (sometimes punctuated with an exclamation point)> It’s as if a game clock somewhere determines how much grief time one gets.
After my mother’s funeral, I frequently felt as though I had run a gauntlet of questions: “How old was your mother?” When I answered eighty three the frequent response was, “Oh then she lived a good long life.” “Oh” felt like a slap to my face. What would be wrong with her living eighty four or eighty-eight years? “Was she a Christian?” Yes. “Well then, she’s in a btter place.” “Had she been sick?” Yes. “Then her suffering is over.” Yes, but what about mysuffering? Grief, particularly for an aged mother, is disenfranchised. Jeanine Cannon Bozeman writes: “I perceived that many people felt tht because mother was “old” and I was an adult child, the loss should be less significant.”
It does not matter who you are or how high or low your status in society: how old or young you are
how experienced you are in the black and blue realities of life
how clever you are with words
losing a mother wounds.
For the rest of life, some will have a great difficulty finding words to wrap around a mother’s death. A song, a scent, a taste, a fabric or a memory will leave us wordless.
It does not matter how self-confident you are-losing a mother deprives you of a chief-cheerleader.
Mary Poppins
150 Bible Verses Every Catholic Should Know
I am hoping… that we have a safe trip this week. I am leaving for our family reunion (Calvin is staying behind though because he has to work and he also wanted to stay with the dog). I could really use the break. This is my paternal grandfather’s side of the family and they will also need some time to grieve for my mother.
I am hearing… The air conditioner which actually masks the usual buzzing in my ears.
Around the house…got the kitchen and the dining room cleaned up! Now I have a bunch of laundry to fold to get ready for our trip.
A few plans for the rest of the week:Do whatever my attorney tells me before I leave for the reunion.
A picture I am sharing:
Izzy was a volunteer at one of the library shows. This is the Weird Science show! I’m not sure what scientific principal he was illustrating, but it was a lot of fun to watch that toilet paper fly forcefully into the center of the crowd via the leaf blower!
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