Winter is almost here, at least on the calendar

One niece married off, another off her feet

One of the most important aspects of living life is being useful!  Sister #1 called me on Wednesday to give me a heads up... her daughter had taken a bad step off the stage at a concert (she was conducting, being a music teacher).  Well!  The doctor told said daughter to stay off her feet for ten days.

Seems like slipping and falling is running in the family.  My son's mishap was in October, requiring the lending of crutches, at least for a couple of days:

A couple of weeks ago, on the walk in the nature preserve toward the end of November, my friend slipped and fell.  She didn't need crutches, thank goodness, but she did need to rest, ice, compress and elevate!

The niece makes three!  If these things happen in threes, are we done?  I still think it's a good idea to be cautious of footing  as winter wears on.

Meanwhile, sister #1 being off to Kansas to help her daughter with two active sons... I get the joy of checking in on her kitties!  I stopped by Sunday morning to clean litter boxes, greet and feed the two of them.  I shall continue this drill daily, not sure for how long, at this point.

I'm hoping my niece heals completely and quickly, and that my sister has dry roads and safe travels as she serves as mobile grandma!

Weather woes

While we've been enjoying a dry, mild lead up to Winter here, the Southland has had record heat, and the sudden drop to cold north of them led to these strong, destructive storms that we have all been seeing on our television screens.  It seems as though "tornado alley" cut across several states, all in one night.  My heart aches, remembering of course storms past:  the flattening of Joplin, Missouri, for example, in 2011.  A lot of the photos and videos remind me of images from that storm.  

In 2004, a tornado flattened Hallam, Nebraska, just to our South.  The most touching thing from that storm, besides of course the rebuilding of the town, was that a piece of wood from the little church down there was used in crafting the Paschal cross of the church I go to here in Lincoln.  Resilience, resurrection, faith, tying the two communities together.

Pep talk:  pick yourself up, dust yourself off... move forward

Did you have a good weekend?  Overindulge a bit in the celebrations of the season?  How are you handling your holidays?  Is there a good balance of traditional treats and stress-relieving activity?  Are you cutting yourself a break, in terms of expectations?

Remember:  YOU ARE ENOUGH!  Perfectionism is all very fine and good, BUT... we're human and it is OK to be human!  Slow down enough to take a breath and cherish the good amidst the chaos, whether that chaos is up close and personal or on the news!

Breathe, nourish, appreciate, this one and only Monday, December 13, 2021 we'll ever get.  Because each and every one of us is not only worth it, we are needed in this world... to give one another a smile, a prayer, a kind act... one day at a time!

Life is good.  Spark on!  🔥💖✨