Family

Spending Time With My Parents

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It has been a year since I have seen my parents. That feels odd to me. I don’t live by my parents but I have been lucky enough to see them multiple times a year . . .up until now. Unfortunately, life just got in the way. Luckily I will be seeing them soon and they are coming to me! I love being able to share my life with them. I have multiple things planned for us to do but really . . . I would be happy just to have them in my home doing nothing but everyday life with me.

I know this will sound crazy but, I also enjoy saving things for them to help me with. Not that I am not capable but there is something nostalgic about the help that I miss. So here are 5 things I am hoping to have their help with while they are here.

  1. Having my mom help me with some mending projects
  2. Making Easter dinner together
  3. Sitting on the couch and having a discussion about everything and anything
  4. Discussing the best way to keep bugs out of my house (I live in a forest)
  5. Finalizing taxes and making sure that I checked every box
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Feeling Joy

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We have made it to the end of 2020 and I am sure everyone is ready to start the new year in the hopes that it will be a little more like 2019 before COVID came into our lives. I have to admit. the pandemic disrupted my usual endeavors but it also made things better for me. I found happiness and joy where others might have found discouragement, fear and perhaps anger. I learned to cling to the things that bring happiness in my life and to disassociate with the things that only create frustration.

So what is it that brings you happiness and joy into your life? Here are 5 things that bring my joy and I celebrate them at the end of this year.

  1. Animals
  2. Family
  3. Good Food
  4. Travel
  5. My Savior

Christmas Blessings

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You might wonder why this post is on the travel week but . . .this year I have felt blessed beyond measure on my own life’s journey. It has been a year full of ups and downs. I have cried many tears but I have smiled to the depth of my soul. In this year of so many changes and growth beyond compare; I decided that I needed to share my gratitude for those blessings with those that might not be able to see the goodness still in the world. I resolved this year to relieve some of the suffering that I have seen in those around me by creating homeless kits. I know that my effort was the tiniest drop in the bucket but . . .the love that I have felt while working on the project and the culmination of that love while delivering the kits this week will probably never be matched.

I found a location in downtown Portland that could use the kits and set to creating them with a few of my friends and family. We were blessed along the way with others that wanted to help and had donations given to us of items we were seeking. In all we had 52 kits created. I will never know the reason why some of these people who received a kit are in the situation that they are in but I hope, in some small way, the kit reminded them that they are loved.

Our kits were filled with toothbrush/toothpaste, mouthwash, deodorant, gum, protein bar, hard candy,  crackers, nuts, water, small pkg of wipes, Kleenex, Chapstick, soap, band-aids, socks, Advil, hand warmers, and poncho or emergency blanket.

As we were delivering we heard people exclaim how excited they were for the socks and the gum. I know it was Christmas early for some of these people and I feel so grateful to have been apart of that Christmas exchange.

One thing I have learned over the years . . .you will never know the impact you have on the life of another. My heart is forever changed and buoyed up with love from this.

As a thank you to those that came with us last night–there was a small little celebration at Ruby Jewel afterwards. Enjoy the few pictures from our small event.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!