FIVE YEARS

Five years….. What does five years mean to you, the reader? Five years to me means: a new daughter in law, a divorce, nursing homes, 2 grandchildren, reconnected with old friends, made new ones, bought three new sewing apparatuses and learned to quilt, watched my children move MILES apart from one another and me, sold a house after 18 years, near death experience (no kidding), bought a house out of state, lost BOTH parents, lost BOTH my dogs, lost my dream car, moved into childhood home with all its memories, interviewed for 11 different jobs and now in search for a new home in Ringgold while cleaning out my parents home. (Yes, I know about run on sentences. Take a breath here)

Whew! Tired yet? I was telling my sister the other day I felt like a big Jenga tower and if one more person pulled the wrong tile I was going to fall to pieces. Anyone who knows me knows I don’t fall to pieces. I probably should sometimes but that is not my character. I don’t trust anyone with all those tiles. People I know would put a tile in their pocket just to see what happens while everyone searches for that last missing piece.

I’ve done a lot of thinking about the last five years. To me, it is like when your children are going through “a faze”. When you are slap in the middle of it you think to yourself “is this EVER going to end?” Only to find the next child has a faze (as in haze because that’s what it feels like) (phase) while the other is transitioning to yet another. You forgot the faze you were stuck in and thought you would never get out. Life happened during those fazes. You look up and realize a year had gone by while you were putting out faze fires.

I look around me and I’m so thankful I had parents as long as I did. I’ve had a great home. My children are happy and still full of crap! LOL I had the unconditional love of furry companions that thought the sun rose and set with me. I had the opportunity to own the most awesome car in the county. I lived to see outside of that OR, thanks to some amazing physicians and God of course. I’ve had the privilege of spending time feeding daddy’s birds and taking care of mom’s plants. If any of you see Dad before I get there don’t tell him I don’t pick up ALL the sticks in the yard. I had the pleasure of holding hands with both parents as they took their place in heaven. I’ve spent more time with my sister the last 5 years than I have in the last 20 combined. Not sure she is always appreciative but you get what you get.

The next five years in my life will be filled with many more life changing events. Hopefully more grands, a new house, and retirement not too far from that. If life slowed for me I often wonder what would I do? I would be tremendously bored. I’m already upset that my body is slower, my mind is slower and heck if my speech got any slower ya’ll would see me holding a toothpick in my mouth and spitting. If for some reason you see me somewhere drooling, please come over, prop me up, tell me life is good and sit there until I am better. And for all that is holy, please don’t slip a tile in your pocket!