I have been abundantly blessed by association with some of my grandchildren these past several weeks. And I even have a new great daughter who is the 12th great grandchild! I look forward to another great grandson in May as well.
Living in Utah where 5 of my 10 children reside has been a huge blessing since I can now attend many concerts and musicals and special days as well as Sunday dinners. I see at least some of the family several times a month. It really is a blessing!
The other day I was counting up our family and realized that from just Steve and me have come a family of almost 80 people! It is mind boggling and brings me great joy. I love the hugs and the association. It would be my dream to have us altogether at one time in one place although I realize that will likely not happen since we all live far apart in Utah, Oregon, Colorado, Alabama, Indiana, Georgia, Tokyo, California, and Arizona. But I will continue to revel in the times I can gather with my family members. I look forward to the "Grandma Trips" with my grandchildren which will begin April 2 with a trip to Paris with one of my grandsons. It will be fun to find out what adventures await as more trips are planned. There will be a safari in June with 2 more grandsons and then a trip to Japan in 2024 with 5 other grandchildren. I was surprised that so many were interested in visiting Japan. I am grateful that so far my health has been good enough to allow me to travel. I am recovering well from my back surgery which will be helpful when it comes to traveling and needing to walk.
It almost seems like spring. At least we haven't had snow for a few days. The snow pack is good for this year so maybe we will not have to worry about drought conditions. I am thinking of planting sweet peas soon. They have my favorite perfume. And of course I want more zinnias this year.
It has been aggravating to have a 3 month recovery from my surgery! I have read so many books and watched so much TV and felt stymied since I could not "bend, twist or lift more than 10 lbs" nor was I supposed to use my "dishwasher, do laundry or vacuum" during that same time frame. Thankfully I have a robot vacuum, realized I can wash dishes by hand, and learned how to use my 'grabber' to do laundry without bending. This week I will go have an X-ray to see just how the fuse is looking and hopefully I will get a green light to get back to my life. I am not the world's best housekeeper but even I am getting annoyed by the clutter and knowing my bathrooms are not as clean as they should be. I actually found someone to come in and clean for me next week. It will be like spring cleaning I hope!
There is a huge pile of papers on my desk I need to sort as soon as I am cleared to bend so I can put them in my file drawers. But little by little my mind is allowing me to deal with some of the "stuff" like sending in insurance claims, doing my taxes, and so much of the minutia of my life. I am hopeful that I will get my head together again and be more productive. I just need to feel like I am accomplishing something. Guess that comes from having a type A personality. But then there are days when I do absolutely nothing of significance. This past week I have been sort of hibernating. But I am learning to be OK with that too.
I think part of this new portion of my life is learning who I really am. For example, I always have said that I like 'classical' music and I have it playing on my radio in my car when I drive. But I have learned that I do not like ALL classical music. I am trying to discover what foods I actually like. It may be because I had Covid or it is just me but most food does not taste very good to me anymore. So, I am trying to figure out what foods I actually do like. It has been a revelation to me that I struggle with my body image. I think I have always tried to look 'nice' and put together but I realize I really struggle with some excess weight and I need to not struggle so much with it.
So, there is definitely room for growth. I am trying to be a better person and that is sometimes an uphill journey.
But overall I feel blessed and grateful for so many things - for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for the opportunity to attend the temple regularly, for my FAMILY, for the years Steve and I had together, for his love and the foundation he provided for my emotions. I look forward to many more adventures as I adjust to my new life as a widow.
Here are a few recent photos of some of my posterity.
After his performance with a BYU group - he is an awesome guitarist.
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