cleaning out the stuff.................

cleaning out stuff is not really a chore
it is an opening up of free space

not just re-organizing, but really clearing the home spaces and mental spaces of our lives

we look at each item, try to remeber why we kept it..............
if we remember then we might pause a bit to reflect on whether or not to keep it or we might let it go with joy that it will be gone.
if we don't know why we have it, we might pause to try to rmember or (& this is the best thing) we toss it in 'giving/going away' pile with a shrug.

when all is done & the final bit is reviewed and let go or put away...........
there is a sense of accomplishment
a sense of a job well done
and more space in our heads, our rooms, our lives to build new memories

for some this means more room for more stuff...........
I've been de-cluttering, cleaning out, spring cleaning, nesting..........
what ever you wnat to call it................
for a while now.............
and with a passion since we moved to the desert

there is somthing in the austerity of the open spaces that is cleansing & I want that in my home & in my head

what I keep are things that mean something, really mean something
what I keep in my head should be good thoughts, good memories, lessons learned and hopeful dreams

the down talk is going
the hurtful memories are gone
the painful hurts have been re-aligned as lessons or let go

clearing out that kind of stuff makes me feel less frantic, more at peace & I am a better person to those in my life for doing so

namaste

musta been a sign............a route 66 sign 

a sign.............of sorts

so even in back then..........
somehow......
someway...
I knew I'd be out here on old route 66

or perhaps it was really was just a cuppa' coffee.............

they both are a source of happiness.......
the old route 66 we live on & the cuppa coffee

just might be a sign

we will never know

just stuff

been a long week & not over yet......................

grandpa had his funeral on wednesday ...................

haven't had a chance to chat with aunts & uncle about anything......they are busy with the loss of their father..............

it is so hard to lose anyone you love & a parent (or grand parent) can be the hardest............no matter how "expected" it is.................it never really is what you expect it to be

moving up takes on a new meaning wiht these losses.................

we are in line to take care of your aging parents............to assist as they need us.......we are not the childern any more.
we are the adults
we are looking at taking care of our childern & our parents, possilby both of them at the same time.....................

we be the sandwich generation..................working 40++ hours/week, caring for both our kids & our parents ............who need may us even more than our childern do...............................

sad news....................

sadness seems to be in the air.......

my grandfather (my dad's dad & my last remaining grand parent) passed away on thursday evening while dad was here visiting with us.............

grandpa had been hospitalized on the very day dad got here to see us (2 day drive from KCMO to ABQ) and dad's siblings wanted him to come home right then to be there to help take care of things...........

my dad had been the primary care giver for grandpa for the past 9 years for grandpa & really doing everything for grandpa (except for bathing & such personal stuff) for the past 3 (nearly 4) years -- ever since grandpa had his pacemaker put in......................... this was only the 2nd time he'd been away for more than a few hours from providing for grandpa in those nearly 4 years

while it was hard for him to be away.......he had no energy to go back right away & deal with anything...........he had always been there to handle it all

he mentioned that it had been nearly 25 years that he'd been taking care of his parents.......back when when grandma was first diagnosed with cancer.........

he left his own place to go back home to live with grandpa & grandma to help take care of things ..................and he never got to leave for his own place again.........

until now......... when he gets to go home to what is now all his own place & his own space

so as a note for any of you caring for others................
remember to take time for your self ...............
take time to Care for yourself......
it is Not a selfish thing to do ...it is a neccessary thing to do............

time off
time away
this recharges us
renews us
lets us be the best we can for the people that need us

time is the thing

while it seems like we never have enough of it ............
or it stretches out so long before us............

we are always given the same number minutes in the day
it is how we use them that matters in the end.................

so take today (well everyday really) and spend a minute to make a wonderful memory for yourself and your loved ones..............

one minute, or take five, you can do that, to build a memory

it won't matter that you don't know when exactly it happened,
what will matter in the times to come Is That IT DID Happen

take your life back, give yourself a minute to build a memory

latitude & altitude.............

...........the higher you go, the colder it gets

I'm talking about alitiude & latitude

fortunately we live a lower latitude than we ever have before
but it is a higher altitude than we ever have before

this combo makes for wonderfully variable weather in the spring time

snow closing the mountain pass this weekend and elswhere the rains are settling out the dust

& blooming............we are beginning to bloom ......finally

altho some of those poor blooms are having to survive late spring snow
which makes a great pic but it's a bit chilly on flowers & toes

so the shorts & sandals vie for attention with the boots & jeans

welcome to spring in the high desert
bring a jacket