Where Have I Been?

Life got messy again. Between the yard sale, a family member moving away soon, major changes at my church which I still can't attend in person, hitting a roadblock with my writing... it's all been a bit too much.

I made my third call this week to people I love who now have dementia. Two of the calls were today. Mary W. last Thursday. She remembered me, or seemed to, but little else. I'm still glad I made the call. Paul's Aunt Beth was today. She didn't know me at all. I still chatted a bit and told her I loved her. She and I have spent hours on the phone the past few years, talking art, writing, family, politics. So much in common and so much shared laughter. 

The last call was to my Uncle Tom. He knew me but was living in an earlier time in his life. We were able to talk about his motorcycle and his cats. He misses having pets where he's at. It's hard not to cry. You don't lose the person, but you lose a treasure trove of memories you shared. He was the last person I know who remembered my great grandparents, my grandparents, and my mom's childhood. I still had so many more questions to ask. Below is a photo of my uncle and his two sisters who have both passed on. He's the last of his siblings. The last who would have known their childhood stories.

Tom, Patsy, and Leah

Life is fleeting. When you're busy living it, you sometimes forget to savor it. To see and hear and absorb the stories of family members. I'm going to make an effort to be more present when I am with loved ones. To enjoy the moments and the making of memories. 

© 17AUG2022 ajjahner

July Activites

July has been a busy month so far. It occurred to me, I completely dropped the ball on my June Prompts so I went to take a look at the ones I hadn't used. I picked the following, for June 30th, to do today.

Describe an activity that reminds you of your childhood summers.

My childhood summers were filled with so many activities, but one I loved back then and still love today was shopping at yard sales. There was something exciting about piling into mom's car, heading down the road watching for signs, and quickly pulling into a parking spot. We all had some spending money and would begin searching the tables for a special treasure to take home. You never knew what you would find. A new book, a pretty doll, a board game, a cassette tape. Sometimes I'd find a new piece of clothing. Well, new to me and that was fun! I remember getting a Beatles cassette and mom discovering a song that was not appropriate, so she made me tape over that section with something else. I still get the same feeling of excitement when I spot a yard sale sign. 

So, that's my take on the June 30th prompt. It was written in 5 minutes without editing. I'm not even allowing myself the luxury of checking for spelling and punctuation errors. So there it is, though I really wanted to change those last two lines. They just didn't read well to me. That's part of the challenge, to just write.

This particular prompt fit with my most recent activity. We got our yard sale behind us and had a lot of fun doing it. We sold a lot of small items. My sister brought over some magazines and comic books which surprisingly sold very well. I neglected to take photos of the sale, except for a few items.

Cherished Teddy, Hannah

Tooth Fairy Box

Angel Box

Vintage Magazines

The best part of having the sale was visiting with the variety of people who stopped to shop. Each person was on the hunt for treasures. Some browsed with nothing particular in mind, just enjoying the process of seeing what jumped out at them. Others were on the search for a specific type of item. I was asked for Pyrex, video games, and Pokemon cards for example. The day was warm, but a nice breeze kept us from feeling the heat too much. It was a fun way to spend a day!

A Quick Note

I just realized it's been 10 days since my last post. Life got a little hectic. I'm still trying to get some writing in most days. I'm also trying to get ready for a big yard sale in two weeks. More details on that later on. We have definitely moved into the beginning of summer heat so I'll be staying inside with the AC on most days. I'm hoping we'll get a nice mild day for the yard sale. Fingers crossed! Well, that's all for now. Be back soon!