I pray

God clears my

Mind, soul and conscience

From things that get stuck

In my soul…

Judgements, dislikes and

Hold every pain…

That keeps me from finding

Peace in the daily visions

Of your creation…

Confession is good for the soul

But voicing my defects

Is a hard thing to do…

The process is freeing

Show me the way…

Drama

The name of the game

With all going on in the world

And the news repeating it

Hourly…

Living daily in peace

Is my goal…

A tooth problem,

A muffler problem

At this age is so minor

When we could

Already be six feet under…

Why can’t we just be at peace

And joyful that we’re here,

Well and have what we need…

Thanks be to God

Backyards…

Backyards run together

Some divided by fences

Keeping some out

And still…others in…

They contain episodes

Of life neighbors keep

From the front…

Like dogs, gardens and tools

Windchimes, wheelbarrows

And bikes…

There are bird houses, bird feeders

Birdbaths, statues, grills and lights…

Grass seems to cover all though

Weeds peek through at times…

Swings sets squeak in the wind

And patios or porches also

Dot the terrain…

Dogs run and bark behind

The fences but can be seen

And enjoyed…

Kids don’t seem as active anymore

As digital games have taken

Over catch, hopscotch

And jumping rope…

No longer do the nets stretch

Across the yards as most

Of our backyard kids are grown

With backyards

Of their own…

Reading keeps my mind

In a better place

And not in a race

Of unwanted thoughts…

Although the things I read

Only educate me on the

Ugliness of humanity…

Murder mysteries are

The genre I always devour

Usually able to complete in

One sitting…

While engaged

I’m seldom sad

Or wonder why…

But when the mystery

Is solved my minds looks

For a more terrifying

Text to occupy my

Worrying mind…

Feet and hands

Feet ground us

Carry us around this earth

Yet my hands seem to be

Aging at a faster rate…

Maybe my feet get

More exercise than my hands

But comparing them today

My hands look way older

Than my feet…

My hands have age spots

Bulging blue veins

Crepy and wrinkled…

My feet still look like the

Teenage feet that used to

Carry me Around in my

Bikini at the beach.:.

Why such a difference

Could the feet be following the

Age in my mind

And my hands following

The age of my body…

Or hasn’t aging reached my

Feet yet…

What’s cooking…

My retired groom is in the kitchen

Where else…

It’s he’s favorite place…

Today it’s pizza

What else

It’s his favorite food…

But he’s also boiling eggs

For egg salad which I’m

Sure he’ll devour before the

Pizza dough has risen…

Me…I have left overs from

My dinner last night…

I like fast food

Ready when I want it

And no mess to clean…

So again today

Eating separately

With no dishes to clean

For this retired grooms bride…

Taxes are due…

In a few short days…

I used to worry about

How much and how to pay

When mortgage and tuition

Payments were also due…

Today I think about them

But will procrastinate

Til tomorrow and keep

My dollars making interest

For another day…

A well planned Retirement

Thanks to my hubby

Takes away the worry

Everyday…

Grey day.,.

These are the days

That make me sad before

Spring arrives…

The sky is grey

Grass is brown

And the road ways are

Covered in debris

That make me grateful

For Lady Bird Johnson’s

Initiative of keeping America

Beautiful…

But the winds spreading the

Litter dropped by uncaring

Citizens have come to light

As the dark clouds

Add to the gloomy skies…

Always thankful for the

Glorious spring days that are

Around the corner

With sun to nourish my

Little green sprouts breaking

Though the earth preparing

For the glorious and colorful blooms…

Re-entry…

Is a thing…

Two weeks alone

Then back together again…

Takes some adjustment…

Where you park the car

In the driveway…

The seat up again

For two weeks you

Haven’t fallen in…

Sharing the tuna casserole

Made for one…

Things in the fridge

Are moved around…

Aromas coming from the kitchen

When I don’t cook…

Adjustments to our solo days

Having changed both our ways…

First Day of Spring 2023…

Another Spring

Is on its way

And my faith jump

Out at me today…

I’m sitting in my sunroom

Robins are

Building…

Watching as they fly around

Busy with urgency

To fill their nest…

As God has willed it

For all these years

We take for granted

As…just another day…

Revelation of His Creation

Continuing…

Giving me tremors

As my

Faith

Quakes

Today…

I’m an American

I was born here

As a women in the

Land of the free…

Home of the brave

There’s more things to see here

Why would I want to go there…

Places where our grandparents

Packed up and left

To find a better life here…

They worked hard

To have the life they gave us…

Why go back..,

Today is not a good day

The sun is shining

But life is on hold

And has been for

Too long…

Things to do

Before he goes

Clothes ready

Buy him more comfy socks

Super glue his glasses

Bag with tissue his gifts

Pack his computer and DVD player

With the movies and songs

To play for his mom…

Cheryl’s cookies

PJs and blouse for mom

Gift for brother

All the food he’s planning on cooking

Getting outfits packed

Glasses, insurance cards

Money and all he wants..,

Then peace and quiet

Will begin for me..:

To do as I please…

Come and go, sleep

Eat when and what I want…

Binge watch all my shows…

“Everybody needs some time away”…

Is the song playing in my brain…

Same page…

Wish we could get on the same page

Once in awhile…

Lately we haven’t even been in the

Same book…

I have EarPods in

Listening to a pod cast

While you watch basketball

Or talk to your mom

Not wanting to interrupt

Or disturb you…

But you constantly talk to me

During commercials…

Again my books don’t have commercials

Nor do I need to tell you how many chapters

Are in my book as

You feel the need to give me the statistics

On the players in the game..:

Now your listening to operatic

Music at top volume without even

Asking if I mind..:

So off to another room I go..:

Since my dads

Death

I’ve felt alone

He was the only one

I could air my soul too…

No judgement

We would discuss it

Just would ask why I

Felt that way…

But I never felt my

Way/idea was completely out

Of the question…

I talk to him often

Nightly but without

That squeeze of his hand

On mine the loneliness

Continues…

Disposal lifespan

Today I realize my garbage

Disposal is over 20 years old…

Before this one I had 3 garbage

Disposals in the same house

For the 25 years before..,

Before I would buy what was on sale

As we had a family, we were young

Tried to be fugal but I have learned

Over the years that you can’t go cheap

With something that runs everyday

At many hours of the day and you

Depend on it to work…

We remodeled our kitchen 20

Years ago and in our budget

Was $$$ for the top of the line

Disposal…

I can’t say we put the top of the line

Of every appliance cause we didn’t…

But I have found over the years that

The corners you cut that seem

Unimportant get replaced every

3 to 5 years…

Like the trusty sump pump..,

Out of sight and usually only

One in the family is aware of its

Importance…

On a rainy night I can’t sleep

Unless I can hear my pump

Going off at a regular cadence…

I try to replace mine every 3 years

Because ONE failure spells disaster

And a lot of $$$ in cleanup…

This retired bride tries to

Keep everything working…

The sun

Is peaking through

This very cloudy day

Roofing nails are heard

Being pounded in next door…

The air is chilly

A cold front with ice

And snow is on the way

And our third curly haired

Grandson turned 18 today…

The sun rises and sets

And our life goes on

As our family celebrates

These milestones…

My heart aches for the babies

I rocked who have now

Turned to men

Letting me kiss and hug them

As they run in to say high

And I cry each time we have to wave bye…

But this is the way of the world

God has given

Lending us our children to raise

And send out into the world

To make their way, their mark

On the road they travel

To heaven…

I pray He watches over all of them…

The brain…

Is slowly deleting

Some of our memories…

I see it daily in him

And feel it in me…

It’s upsetting to tell him

Something and two minutes

Later I have to repeat…

He said thanks for reminding me

But it’s worrisome…

The kids say this has always

Been him

But I’ve known him

So much longer

And it’s making me sad

And even more observant…

The cost of gas…

Won’t hinder my traveling

At my age in life…

God will come and get me

When it’s time

But til then my travels

Come out of my wallet…

I remember filling up

Our family convertible in ‘64

At $.25 cents a gallon…

I just filled up and said charge it

My dad always paid the bill…

Over the years Running out

Of gas was a monthly thing

As I hated using my coins

When I could buy something else…

So trying to get every drop out

Of the tank left me walking home

On many occasions…

Then in ‘’74 remember waiting in

Line for an hour or more as gas

Was limited…hubby watched

The kids and I waited for gas…

Today as gas prices have escalated

I find too many complain

As they sip on grande lattes

At Starbucks…do they ever calculate

The price per gallon…

Growing old…

Not just aging but

Getting closer to the end

Plays with your mind…

Dreams rewind times in

Your life both good and

Awful…

Giving you a recollection

Of what you did and what

You might have done

Differently…

There is no redo of life

There is doing, and owning

Whether you’re proud of the actions

Or not…

Reliving your life in your mind

Is an award for life well done

Or penance for the screw ups…

I pray God is like my father

Patient and forgiving…

Last night’s dream

Was a humdinger…

Paint was thrown

All over the outside

Of the house

But it was like someone

Was painting a Monet

It was beautiful…

Said the husband…

As he explained….

Forgot to put the key

Back under the mat..

She must be upset

The Miata wasn’t

In the garage…

The neighbors were scratching

Their heads with his

Explanation of the vandalism…

She leaves little things

Around the house…

Who bought the Miata

Probably a young woman

As she always said it was

A chick’s car…

Better not eat

The fudge stripe cookies

She occasionally leaves

On the pillow…

Or I’ll be with her

Sooner than expected…

She doesn’t live here anymore

But she doesn’t know…

Aging gives us

Different views of things going on

In the world..,

Mostly we are on the same page

But things come up that I

Have no interest in and he

Is not interested in things that

Grab my attention…

I love to read murder & romance

He reads things on the internet

But seldom a book…

He loves to share his views,

I don’t…

Talking is done too much these

Days with little action…

2 years of Covid has cause

A lot of opinions, fears

And changes in the world…

I find history is not being made

As much as it’s being repeated…

The have’s have it…

The have nots need it

And the world suffers!!!

Places have different meanings…

In my life

The Bermuda Triangle

Exists where the fridge, stove

And sink form a triangle

In our kitchens…

Most days my retired husband

Becomes lost in this area

For hours…

Cutting, searching, searing,

From morning til dark until

Something edible appears but

Not appealing to my taste buds…

After hours of toil and tasting and

Tasting and more tasting…

He might give up and place it in a bowl

in the cold corner of our

Triangle for another day of adding

More ingredients or just lingering

Til a green slim appears and the

Other corner becomes useful

To wash it away…

I seldom venture in to inquire

Or taste less I be ask to help

Clean up the mess…

For the past 13 years since my retired

Groom stopped working I have turned

Over this triangle of my life to him…

To love and cherish as I once did

When it was my domain…

Since then pots have been burned,

Dishes have smashed, cutlery have

Turned missing…expensive knives

Have appeared that I never thought

We could afford…

Like me he realizes the mess has to

Be cleaned and the eaters will never

Be around to help as they have disappeared

From this triangle which they only

Relish when the aromas bring them rushing

In for the tasty plates…

But like all who venture into the triangle

Disappear, including his retired bride…

Things I love about grocery shopping…

My husband does it…

It gets him out of the house

Keeps him busy

Gives him something to do…

Brings home stuff out of date

That gets him back to the store

Out of the house to return the product…

He also plans our meals

While shopping and ends up

Cooking because his ingredients

Don’t match my recipes…

Retirement brings on many changes

And this one has been the BEST for

This retired groom’s….retired bride…

If I’m taken first

I hope my little

Posts gives you some happiness

In my absence…

At 75…20 years longer

Than my mother and her

Mother lived on earth

This thought is constantly

On my mind…

I know you’re irreplaceable

And if you feel the same

Then the sadness of my

Absence will strike you heavily.,.

I’m sure the loss of a spouse

Is a heart wrenching jolt

Especially since we’ve been

Together so long…

We won’t notice the first

Few days alone as you

Have traveled so much of

Our lives….first with work

And now in retirement with

Your aging mother…

Never doubt whether you

Made me happy, safe and gave me

All I needed and wanted…

You absolutely did…💕💕💕

My daily thoughts and love

Are and always have been

You…Since that first kiss and

All the kisses and love since then

Daily…

If I’m gone…knowing not where…

I have our faith…what we believe

And I will hold you again…

Know my heart and soul

Will never let go of you

My loving, beautiful, boyfriend ,

Husband, Lover and Friend…

❤️💕❤️💕❤️💕❤️💕❤️💕👩🏻‍🦳

3/4 of a century…

Opens my eyes to many things…

People see your mistakes,

Shortcomings and flaws

But never call out their own…

One must lookout for themselves

As everyone else’s outlook

Is from a different view than

Yours…

One is always closer to the cliff

Than the other and you must

Always be sure of your own

Footing…

Only you walk in your shoes…

I will no longer hear insults,

Complaints or ugliness

My life is now too short

For such nonsense

I will only eat my choice

And when I want…

My cravings and timelines

Run on my crazy clock…

My tastes buds were imbedded

At birth and served me well

Through my life

Otherwise I wouldn’t

Still be overeating…

The Lord is My Shepard

I do not want or need

Anything more…

One of us is changing…

He thinks it’s me

I think it’s He…

Both at 3/4 of a century

With all our faculties

But some aren’t as accurate

As they used to be…

I can’t hear him

He says it’s my hearing

I say he mumbles…

He takes everything out

Not putting it back or

Putting things in strange places…

So we are forever looking for

Everything…

He was to take a drivers exam

Driving and written

But thankfully they waived it…

Or he wouldn’t be driving

He feels…and I second that

Emotion…

Aging is taking a toll

On both of us!!!

Our Bose is fixed…

The new battery on the remote

Replaced.,,

And he’s playing all the music

Of our teens, high school and

College days…

Dancing in our sunroom on

A Saturday morning makes

My day bright…

He dances slow the same

As he did those many years ago…

We get lost in life and music

Brings us back to the time

That got us here and keeps

Us where love stays…

J

The gloom continues

My joy is buried

Somewhere

And I can’t seem to find…

I feel my smile is downturned

And my cheeks are aching

With the weight of the frown

trying to turn it upside

Down

Has been an effort nowhere

To be found…

The state of affairs

The upcoming holiday

And my hubby’s reiterating

His dismal feeling

Keeps pulling the feelings farther

And farther down…

Is it the winter cold

The stormy forecast

Or am I exhausted from

My travels…

Get up… shake it offf

Maybe I need a

Cola this holiday season…

Long road

On a cloudy Sunless Sunday

A blue sky appearing

To a brighten the day…

The road seems long

But like life the journey home

Passes at great speed

Towns and cities appear

In the vista

Visited during another

Trip but a revisit is not

On the agenda nor anytime

In the future….

A75 year life has

Pinpointed the map

Of my life only including

The area where my children

Have settle…

No longer wanting to

See the world

Barely enough time

To visit theirs…

Milestones have past

Visible only in a rear view

And drifting further away

The only milestone on the

Horizon is a granite stone

On which my name appears

Where my journey and road

Ends..:.

Gloom…

Enshrines me today

The blue ocean I viewed yesterday

Is grey and unappealing at this hour

The sun is hiding

And my girls are so happy with

Their full nest as their college

Boys are home again…

My nest is waiting for

The winds of time to blow

It away as our life is dwindling

Down with a nest full of memories

Of days gone by…

Purging is the word of the day

Purge this flu

This fear

This unhappiness and

Hope for a better hour

A better day and better way…

My heart is heavy with this

Gloom that resides not knowing

How to remove and sweep it

Away…

The sun is peeking out

Giving me hope

That this black cloud will

Also move out of my heart

And soul…

Vacation styles Timeshare vs Cruising…

Cruising is like relaxing in a warm bath

With not a care in the world…

Timeshare is like living the same

Day to day life at a destination..

In my case at a beach…

The comparison between Marriott’s

Ocean view timeshare and Royal Carribian

Celebrity cruise is at the opposite end

Of the charts…

Coming off a cruise and starting the

Following week at a timeshare gives

Me first hand knowledge…

Both about the same price…

The cruise was slow, relaxing,

Not a thing to do or a finger to lift…

Excellent food and entertainment

Around every corner and included in

The price…roomed cleaned three times

A day…loose and earring in the shower

They found it.. no problem…

Arnold our cabin steward to the

Rescue…everyone of the service

People had a big smile and we knew

Them by name…fresh towel 2 or more

Times a day…

Food that would compare to 5 star dining

Every minute of my day

Rise and shine to coffee and

Muffins delivered by 7 am

Two of us

Looking out for each other

Is a totally

Different feeling…

Then having the younger

Generation looking out for you…

We seems to do it diffently

Than the younger generation…

Here’s a seat…

Watch the steps, go slow,

Take your time…announcing

To all around that they have

An elderly relative with them…

It was an odd and unsettling feeling

Of been old when you don’t see

It in yourself when your with

Someone your own age…

Will I travel again after witnessing

This…

It was a wonderful trip but I fear

Beyond my capabilities at 74…

I get up late and go to sleep early

Not exactly the hip cruiser

I thought I was….

Missing you tonight

Thinking of you alone

Saddens me tonight

Although my nights

And days have been fun

There’s a loneliness

I feel not sharing the

Fun with you…

I wish we could be newlyweds

On this cruise

As all these years have

Put distance between us

With family commitment

And our different views

On travel..,

But glad we will meet up

Soon and have sunny days

And loving nights together…

Conversations…

Are a thing of the past…

The pandemic has helped

Turn most of us into

Humans that talk and

Seem to have to defend their

Existence…

I text now to get

Questions answered

As no one can have

An interesting discussion

Without it becoming a

Monologue…

I’m not a listener

I’m a conversationalist…

It’s a give and take

Not a classroom where

One is the teacher

And one the student…

I’ve graduated…

And aged and no longer

Want to know what I don’t

Request to know…

Climbing the mountain

Of my life was hard,

I climbed, I learned

But I find since I’ve reached

The summit the decent

Occurs at a much faster

Pace…a pace like the Indy

500…

I only have time for

Specific conversations

Not stories or recipies

Or lectures that

Don’t interest me…

My brain, my time on earth

And my attention span

Has diminished to such a

Degree…

That I only want to

Experience things that

Interest and pleasure me…

My life has been lived

Pleasing and taking care

Of others…

My time has come…

I only have time now

For elevator speeches,

And Specific conversations

That don’t strain my

Vocal chords and

Give me many many

Potty breaks…

The fridge is my Alamo

I melt down

When I open the fridge

And everything is on one shelf…

He stuffs it all in there

On one shelf…

I clean it once a week

When I open it

Seeing bottles on their sides

Dripping their contents…

Or sticks of butter Falling

To the floor…

There were four halved

Onions, 4 bags of celery

2 partially used and 2 new…

Pieces of bread out of the bag

And bags of cheese opened and

Scattered on the one shelf…

I keep the cheese in a plastic container

Today the container sat empty

On a lower shelf…

So Sunday morning I took

Back my fridge

Which I seldom open

Since he took over the

Kitchen upon retirement…

The main reason I don’t

Straighten it daily is

Because when he sees it stuffed

At his eye view he thinks

We have enough…

When it’s cleaned out

With things organized

He thinks he needs more..:

And off shopping he goes

To fill up all the gaps he sees…

Why there were 4 bags

Of celery (I cut up two

along with the onions

Zucchini and spinach and

Bokchoy and put them in a

Gallon bag and froze for soup…

Now the freezer is another

Problem.. but I can only

Face one Alamo at a time…

24/7 retirement has proved

To be a daily adjustment

Thank Goodness he still

Travels…

As I need a reprieve

From my

Short-order-cook retired groom…

My upcoming cruise can’t

Sail soon enough as I watch

Him make pizza since his

Pizza dough and lb of

Mozzarella along with

Some remnants of peppers

And pepperoni have now

Appeared in the clean

And organized Fridge…:

Getting hairy

We’re on different timelines

Eating schedules

Vacation destination

And just about everything

From ice cream likes

To driving ways

Sleeping sides

Water and food temp

Friends, drinks

Ceiling fans

Flower colors

Talking on the phone,

Silence

And more…

Are we completely different

Yes…

Both Capricorns

Approximately the same age

Same religion and

Political beliefs,,,

Opposites attrack

I know is true

Because we’ve

Been together forever…

Waiting…

For me to awake

Then hitting me

With everything

He want me to do for him…

It overwhelming…

Needing an audience

To repeat everything

He reads or sees

My reading daily

Is a constant problem

For others

Who don’t share my love

For books

Yet having to listen

To their loves for sports

Cooking, fishing, golf etc

Seems to make me

Odd, and disrespectful

I’m their eyes…

I don’t read them passages

From the books I read

I try to disappear in

The pages…

In their misdst

While they yell out

At every pass, tackle

And field goal

As I remain lost

In the characters

And senery on the pages..,

To them a quiet passion

Seems to make me odd…

One needs to disregard

Me and become immersed

In their passion without

Having to pound

It into me…

Why???

When you finally get someone

On the phone to help

Why do you have to keep

Repeating what went on

While you were trying to

Work out the problem…

It’s his way…

Not mine…

Has it always been this way

Or is aging

Adding to the problem…

Have to walk away

He wants an ear

To rant at

Not a helping hand

I fear..:

If not now…

Then when…

My thought today

As Turkey and pumpkin

Pies are bought along

With cookies…

Things I love but won’t

Be shared as one still

Means more…

Pray mine won’t experience

This constant torn feeling

Although I try to make

The feeling Less torn as I

Live these last years

Kinda on my own…

The Season

Of my life today

Is the age of my youngest plus

Everyday I live…

Fall is the season

Of looking at the hopes and

Dreams of my children

As they grow their family

Their careers and fulfill

Seeing the fruit ripen…

Their hopes and dreams

From the love that my husband &

I share brings fulfillment

Thankfulness to my heart and soul…

Being still present in their

Lives and seeing our grandchildren

Grow and succeed under

Their tutelage makes me

Realize that the life and faith

We provided for our family

With the help and tutelage

Of our parents have reaped

Good, Christian adults as I prayed

To God to help us nurture and guide them…

Giving, adjusting our views to

Understand and guide theirs

Has provided a happy life…

Glitches along the way have humbled

All of us, pulled us closer and

Permitted them to find the right partners

To fulfill thier/God’s purpose

For their lives…

I’m thankful for Gods forever love

And guidance in our life

And give Him thanks

To fulfill our purpose in His kingdom

Whether it be our health, our

Body and mind our love

To mold us into His glorious image

as He see fits…

Blessed be God…

Missing my mom

For over 50years now

Yet I feel his pain is so much

Greater than mine

As he witnesses her

Spiraling down the dementia

Hole…

Crying for those who have passed

And him so far away…

It would be sheer hell for him

If it weren’t for FaceTime…

My parents quick end

Was a Godsend I now realize…

I see her no different today

Then always, more intense

And living in her own mind…

My sadness is for my husband

Who bears this with such love

And patience…

I pray I pass quickly like

My parents, and grandparents

And never have my children

Cry watching my

Slow ending…

Only God knows why.,,

Missing my mom

For over 50 years now

Yet I feel his pain is so much

Greater than mine

As he witnesses her

Spiraling down the dementia

Hole…

Crying for those who have passed

And him so far away…

It would be sheer hell for him

If it weren’t for FaceTime…

My parents’ quick end

Was a Godsend I now realize…

I see her no different today

Then always, more intense

And living in her own mind…

My sadness is for my husband

Who bears this with such love

And patience…

I pray I pass quickly like

My parents, and grandparents

And never have my children

Cry…watching me

Slowly end…

Only God knows why.,,

The Ash Survives

Through the Ash blight

The pandemic

And the little silver tag

Driven into its trunk

That identifies it as an

Ash…

It’s survived a crash

By a car which stunted

It a bit

And is smaller than

It’s brother growing

A little farther up the parkway…

My Ashes make me realize

That we must not give up

When a blight/pandemic

Takes hold and wipes a whole

Species from the earth…

My Ash is a species of Ash

That is surviving..,

Like those of us surviving

Thriving or just hanging on…

My baby is 50

How can that be

She’ll ALWAYS be the baby

To me…

50 years ago angels came

And took my mother

To heaven and on her arrival

My mom pick an angel

And 9 months later

Sent her to me…

She repaired my broken heart

As my mother intended

And continues to be the happy

Smiley

Part of my children of three…

Monet in nature

Is so well represented

By the changing of the colors

On the branches of trees…

The stems and twigs that carry

God’s nutrients and color

All the leaves

Give glorious joy

To the Creator who also

Gave the power of color

And art to the man

Know as Monet…

I love his paintings

Many of which

Are only copies

Of God’s

Masterpieces

Of the Seasons…

Leaves are falling

With each gust of wind

On this wonderful fall day…

Some trees hold their leaves

A little longer than others

Making me believe others

Will be raking before me…

I miss the smell of

Burning leaves of years

Gone bye and thankful

For the township scheduling

To pick up leaves from

Now until the first snowfall

Which I hope is much later

This year…

Scheduling seems to make

The seasons fly for one

Who never seems to follow

Time, rules or schedules.,

I’m on time for what suits me

Follow rules I install

And schedule very little…

I’v been called uncoachable

Never take constructive criticism

By those that try to form me..

I find I’m a free Spirit

That doesn’t follow the mAsses…

Mother said she was raising Chiefs…

Not Indians…

I just followed her instructions…

I feel she’s proud of me…

My mind

Is full of stress today

Upon waking I fear

The unfolding of the day…

What will it bring

What will we hear

bringing stress and worry

To me and the world

Population…

Why is Peace

Such a non attainable

Existence for a country

And world so full

Of Gods creation.,,

Why can’t mankind

Be happy to live in

Peace love and harmony

And care for each other’s needs

As theirs are overflowing…

Hoarding for tomorrow

While others starve today…

Each of us need

To search beyond our

Physical beings

To fulfill God’s greatest

Commandment..,

Love each other as thy self…

My heart aches

For you my friend

I was trying to distract

Your worry and distress

By giving you non stop

Talking about mine…

My prayers and love

Are always with you and

Pray our next meeting

Will find us joyful

And under less stress…

Our days now should be

Happy and carefree

And everyday the best day ever

Like our last cruise…

Thanks for tolerating my

Opinionated self

And my endless memory…

I’m hoping when my memory fails

You’ll be able to fill in my gaps

With all the stories I relate to you…

I fear I talk so much because I have

So many words pent up inside

And little time left to get them out…

I’ve been tearful since you left

Praying for better days ahead…

💕💕💕💕

We come from

Different places

We’ve lived such different lives

It hard to understand her

Thoughts in the twilight

Of our years…

Our experiences

And knowledge should

No longer gives us doubts

On what we believe and understand…

But seeing the wavering now

Worries me, yet it is not…

As we pass by again

My place to enter in…

Kids are watching closely

As they worry…decline

May beginning

Hoping mine can live

Longer before decline

Worries them…

God works in

Mysterious ways…

I pray we all understand

Some day…

The suffering I see in

Children is hard

To bear…

In adults it’s

More understandable

As we have lived

Our way…

But maybe not God’s way

So He must let us

Tender to Him

Before He let’s us in…

Like going to school

One can’t graduate

Till the time has come

With all lessons learned

And credits earned…

Unloading…

Doesn’t help

It makes two upset

Instead of just the one

Carrying the load…

The other tries to be supportive

But what can one say

As it mostly makes the other

Wonder the reason

For the unloading today…

The mind can only hold

So much before the

Self needs to dump or shield…

Shielding just prolongs the

Dump and the load will only

Increase until the unloading

Is catastrophic

Reminding me of

Many 18 wheelers

Taking a sharp turn

Dumping its load and either

Jackknifing or laying on its side…

The cleanup is immense

And the load unretrievable…

Or with the brain

Unrecoverable…

This time apart…

I pray isn’t God’s way

Of preparing us for our forever

Time apart…

His job

Made us both pretty independent

As I worked from and at home

And he all over the country

And world…

Today he sits and keeps his mom

Company as her mind searches

For words and memories…

As we sit far apart in our

Retirement world

Thinking of sun, sand, golfing,

Fishing, walking on the beach

And finding home cooked meals

On the backroads of our trips..:

Our time will come..,

Just hope it won’t be

Too Late….

Home

It’s hard to feel alone

When you’re home

With all you own…

Encapsulated with views

And pictures of those you love

But now long gone

With thoughts and memories

Of long ago held within

The bond and beliefs you share…

Today I’m here alone but

Not lonely as I dwell within

My happy memories of my

Life lived with all I love…

Where the heart is…

Might not necessarily be home

When a mother is dwelling in a

Nursing home…

Slipping farther away everyday

Calling you by your brother’s name

Not knowing where she is as different

Girls help her every day…

Crying for her mother then asking

Her daddy for help

Is hard for my hubby to watch and hear…

Torn between two women

Between two homes

Needed in both Is torturing

His heart…

I like being home

As my mother is gone

And going back to see her tombstone

In the ground

Doesn’t give me a happy view

Of my home no longer there…

A century has passed since

I called back there home

And my home now is where my

Children and grandchildren

Have grown…

And it is here I want to be…

So we sacrifice us

For that place so far away

Where he can be with her

For the withering of her days..

Lost

Off track

Invisible

Misplaced

Disoriented

Just a few words

That seem to describe

My state of being…

123 was my way

Something is missing

One step in front of the other

Now my steps are skipping

All over my game board

Feels like I’m playing Twister

With no control of my

Moves, ideas, thoughts

So sitting still, in place

Til my being is found

No longer lost…

Aging is a rough thing to watch…

Some days she up

Some days she sleeps

Some days she’s angry

Some days she’s there

Sometimes she’s not…

He sits for hours with

The hope she’ll awake

And realize she’s not alone…

When he’s not there

He’s on FaceTime with her

But tonight she wants no part

Of the IPad to be on

Which is her right and

Gives me a breath of fresh air

Since he’s been on the phone

For hours discussing the new

Covid outbreak, a UTI or

Long sleeves they put on her

In this heat to keep her from

Bruising as her skin is so thin…

We are thankful for this place

That take care of her so well

At a very steep price

But the toll on her son

Is hard to watch..:

He find it so hard to leave her

When he goes back

But I remind him how

Hard to leave mine in the ground

So I stop going back to Death Valley

That I use to call home…

Watching her age is aging us too

As it’s A crap shoot as to

Who will outlive who…

I doubt we have her longevity

So the odds are on us

I fear…

As we seem to put

Our life on hold…

So much to do…

Such little desire to…

Doing my daily ways of reading, TV

And sitting while laundry stacks

Dust falls

Organization is a dream

And me cooking is non existent

This is the life I know now

No deadlines, no visitors

No pets, no where to go

And not doing things if I don’t want…

Hubby will be traveling soon…I hope

Then I’ll do and it will stay done…

Will look for carpet and a new chair

And hopfully he’ll like my choices

If not…Oh we’ll

He can live with what I like

His likes don’t always appeal

To me…

Just the facts…

Years ago there was a show on TV

Named Dragnet

One of the characters was Jack Web…

What I appreciated about Jack was

His insistence on only the facts…

As he interviewed a witness and

They would go into a long

Story he would say “Just

The facts mam just the facts”!!

As we have aged I’ve become

Jack Webb and hubby has become

The long winded, story telling

Witness…

I have a hard time listening to

The details of his stories…

Just the facts hon, just the facts

Is my constant reply…

When I ask how the golf game was

Good is the only answer I want

Not the rendition of the 12 days of

Christmas that I refer to as the

18 holes at Springbrook…

If the golf wasn’t good why go…

I don’t need the hit by hit rendition

Of how far over PAR…

As I read this post to hubby…

He finally replied with his view

Of the facts…

“Get a life”, he said….LOL

A cracked heart…

Many arrows to the heart

Cause unbearable hurt

Yet overtime the hurt is scarred over

Yet never really heals…

Scars remain and their thickness

Keeps the hurt from causing

The heart to shatter…

How long I wonder will the scars

Hold and grip the pieces together

Even though arrows continue to ping from

The scars from other penetrating hurts…

Do scars rupture and bleed

From hurts unseen to the human eye

Or do they form an armour to keep

Th heart tough and uncaring…

Is that when love ends…

Or is the ache permanent

Letting love live…

Traveling no longer

Excites me…

Packing, finding hotels

Wanting to be anywhere

But home is not where

I want to be…

I only like the ocean,

Reading and sleeping

Is it my age or the organization,

Planning, driving, endless

CNN on the radio, too much

Stuff in the car, traffic, car issues,

Not a fishing or golfing type of girl…

The only thing that would entice

Me would be a cruise or a condo

On the ocean…

The the how, when and where

Plays over in my mind

And my thoughts are… been there,

Done that..:

The pandemic and the crazy people

With guns no longer make me

Want to be in a crowd, on a plane

At any big organize event that

Some could target for a moment

Of deadly fame or pass on the Covid

With their unmasked face…

An Ice cream cone or a sweet tea

On my front porch watching the day

Ending as sunset fills all my desires…

My husband’s bucket list is unending

And mine is very low…

Talking is even a low priority

To me now…

Feel there’s not much that hasn’t been said

And my mind is sick of the repetition

Sounds of silence is joyful as

Gods world and nature gives sounds

Enough to make one happy while the sounds

Of mankind have made the world less

Nurturing, safe and content…

Thinking, wanting and striving

In my eyes is over…

Meditating and praying is less

Strenuous with more conviction

For a better world for mine, and

Theirs to come…

Bucket lists are for the young…

If I haven’t done it yet do I really

Want or Need to do it Now…

Pinterest…

Came across Pinterest many years ago…

Mostly looking at weddings, dresses,

Tablescapes etc,.

Being retired I view it through

A different lens…

Entertainment, hairstyles, makeup

And cooking to name a few…

Lately I’ve been following a cook…

Traziarae… she’s cute, fresh, witty

And loves what she does…

She’s married to a NASCAR driver

And does some of her episodes

From her RV while at the race track…

Look her up…

She’s a HOOT…

Worried about what others think…

Is not living an authentic life

It’s living up to other ideals

And not what God made for you…

Worrying about what others think

Is hiding yourself

Your life, thoughts, abilities

Living in the shadows of others…

If you can’t shine your light, and life

There’s something, sinister, missing

Not right about yours…

The sunshine is where you should live

Only sleeping in the dark…

Living in the dark and shadows

Is a life sentence of doubt, unfullfillnent

And sadness…

Live proudly

As the soul that God created

With the gifts He gave you…

Disappointment…

Always appears in my heart

When the one who lashes out

Feeling wronged

Is usually in the wrong

And should bite his tongue…

In most family situations over

The years I have found this

To be true

And has followed a tradition

Of one’s opinion of

Right vs wrong…

At this age I’m over

The drama of nonsense

That isn’t even an issue

But creates a situation

In which no one wins…

An so in my little car

I drive away…

The other women…

Who would want that symbolism

Attached to their name…

Yet here we find out selves

Dealing with the word…

It’s not flattering, not endearing

And not someone you want

To know…

She may have good qualities

But then she crossed the moral line

And persued a married man

Becoming a home wrecker

She’s not the only guilty party

As the door must of been opened

By the one breaking his vow, his

Commitment, his trust of his family…

God will judge but it’s hard not to see

The wrong-doing in both parties

And the devastation and disappointment

Brought to undeserving others

Who didn’t expect the horrible

Breach of morality…

Children suffer most

Not knowing what to think

Or the one who solely belonged to

Them now they share with others…

One now understands more of Adam

And Eve and the snake and the breaking

Of rules, commandments and the

Outcomes of such errors and

Deliberate acts of infidelity…

Heartache…

Happens with a break

In commitment…

Can’t imagine the feeling

As it hasn’t happened to me…

Wondering how he’d feel

If this were his sister or mother…

Would he feel the heartache

The way I do for one of mine

The loss of a best friend, partner

The one who would have walked through

Fire for him but today

Her heart is broken,

Crushed…and yet she

Is probably getting the kids

Ready to wish him a happy fathers day…

Mothers always think love,

Children first themselves after…

What are you thinking?

Of her, of those 6 big eyes

That see her cry when she

Doesn’t think they are watching…

Thinking of the heart ache of

Grandmothers wondering what life

Will look like with a split family

Wondering how you could let this happen…

You before them

Is not a fathers way…

Just look at your father…

Your father in law…

Will your children see a hero

Like their children do…

I’m wondering…

I’m hoping God guides

Your steps through this disregard

Of commitment, love

And Gods Commandment…