Those are two words I never thought I’d write in a blog. How are you coping?
I’ve listened to a lot of sermons in my life. Frankly, few are memorable, but one from my youth seems appropriate. The pastor reminisced about an old friend, a fellow-pastor from Great Britain. During the Second World War, he had the unpleasant task of delivering bad news to his parishioners. One such visit proved truly memorable.
When the woman answered her door, she knew immediately why the pastor was there. She uttered the words that were his responsibility then asked him in for tea. How could he refuse? He entered her parlor and had a seat while she prepared tea. She proceeded as if the news he brought was irrelevant. When he remarked about her calm acceptance of her son’s sacrifice, she said no matter what her loss, family, friends and neighbors depended on her. How could she let them down when the world appeared to be crumbling around them? Even by the simple act of preparing and serving tea, she honored her son’s memory and conveyed strength and hope.
I was struck by the woman’s faith and determination. In a world of self-fulfillment and a “me first” mentality, shouldn’t we consider how our actions affect others? Maybe this is a turning point for us, one we need. Are our feelings really more important than people? Isn’t this a time to convey strength and attempt to make life as normal as possible? Do we need to hoard or share? What can we do for others?
My husband and I are senior citizens. We’re taking sheltering in place seriously. It’s easy to think of this time as being imprisoned at home. Or we could view it as an opportunity to unwind and tackle chores we’ve been putting off. A time to connect with friends and family, albeit remotely. Thought I’d share what I’m up to.
First off, there’s this closet I’ve been meaning to clean out for an extremely long time. I just don’t want to deal with things that are in there. So I emptied it out. The living room seemed an ideal place to sort. Unfortunately, the sorting part is over. Time to get down to reality. I keep crazy things. I have sentimental attachment to items I didn’t even remember I have. Chances are, if I threw it all away, I’d never know what was in there. Except for pictures. All our pictures are piled in boxes. Sorting those are part of the project. Maybe I’ll share some of my discoveries in a future post.
I haven’t been an avid gardener of late but this experience might elevate my enthusiasm. I feel incredibly fortunate to have a garden right now. Recent rain has impacted my ability to get outside. But today I took a stroll around the backyard and found a lot of projects I would like to tackle. I picked some peas and I’ll will show you what I found.
I adore nasturtiums. I’ve never been able to grow them. Several years ago, I got some going from seed in a flat and transplanted them. Finally, success! This volunteer decided to grow near the garden hose. I can’t believe how big it’s getting. Here are the first flowers.
Both our new roses from the Huntington Garden rose sale have buds!
Here’s our first official rose.
No sign of any vegetables yet but the artichoke plants are going berserk.
I never would have believed pumpkins could last this long! They’re hanging in there and all the succulents have grown roots. My granddaughter made these for our Thanksgiving table. Here’s how they looked when they were new.
Maybe you only have a patio, or balcony or even a windowsill. You can still have a garden. Nurseries are open. People are planting herbs and veggies like never before. You can grow a lot in a pot. Looking outside at this grouping of cyclamens on our patio brings a smile to my face every day.
I’ve been doing puzzles, sewing and reading. I was thrilled with an article in a favorite magazine. I’d never heard about grandmillennials who have eschewed current decorating trends and embraced all things granny! Flowered wallpaper, billowing fabric, mixed patterns, antiques, frills and fringe are suddenly “in.” Time to bust out grandma’s dishes, charm bracelets and quilts. My pink floral-wallpapered living room and I are suddenly hip. Needle arts are making a comeback.
So I repeat, how are you coping? How are you making a difference? What are you doing to make things normal? I’d love to hear from you.