Viewing entries in
Moments
The beauty of butterflies; I do enjoy watching them flutter about. Steven, my husband, knows how much I enjoy them and he happened to see that the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens in Belmont, NC, had a butterfly pavilion exhibit.
We went. It was so much fun!
I could try to describe it but I do believe in this case the photos I took can speak for themselves.
Enjoy.
I went to an estate sale today (think mega yard sale). As I walked through the house looking at everything, I wondered what the story was, so I asked Penny, the girl running the sale. It was a familiar story: The man who lived there needed to go to an assisted living situation. "He took all he could, and this is what's left," I was told.
The more I walked through the house, the more I imagined his story. Many of the items were from other states and other countries. “They traveled quite a bit,” I thought. I noted the feminine touches throughout the bedrooms: porcelain dolls, ruffled curtains, flowered wall paper. I was sure that the man and his wife had lived in the house for most of their lives—they raised their children there, had family dinners, perhaps some arguments and of course some agreements. The grandchildren came over from time to time. As the years passed the wife eventually left the earth, and the man was left alone in the house. He loved his wife so much, and he found it too daunting to rid himself of her trinkets and decor.
My attention finally landed on the vintage jewelry. There were bracelets and pins, necklaces and some beautiful silver charms, most from other states and countries. They weren't attached to a charm bracelet or necklace, rather just lying about in a box. I collected as many as I could, and I took them to Penny. I also found a monkey puppet and a copper bracelet that needed a bit of repair. "How much?" I asked.
"How about $12 for all of it?" Penny replied.
"That works for me," I said, already deciding to put the charms on a single bracelet. I will wear it, and I'll think about the stories behind each of the little icons. I might even write a story that's inspired by those charms that were held for years in that box. They stayed there, silent, as life when on around them. Perhaps they were waiting for someone to come along and tell a story about them. Well, I can do that. And if the lady who collected these is watching from above, I want you to know that I will wear these charms knowing that you've added to my charmed life.
It is Sunday and I am still in California. My husband’s sister, Kristen, lives about 3 ½ hours away from Burbank where my son, Bryon, lives. Since Bryon was feeling pretty good (the further he gets away from his week of chemo, the better he feels), Kristen came to Burbank for a day trip visit. The three of us went to a local restaurant and while we were having a lovely lunch together we heard a joyful voice say, “Bryon, it’s good to see you eating.” We all looked up and there stood one of Bryon’s oncology nurses. Of course, she had seen Bryon at his worst from the chemo. How ironic to see her there.
After lunch, Kristen, Bryon, and I walked along the sidewalk and chatted. After a stop for a scoop of ice cream, Bryon said, “Ok, I’m spent, I need to sleep.” The whole visit lasted about 2 hours, but it really was a very enjoyable time. It was nice to see family.
After hugs and a quick picture, Kristen left, I dropped Bryon off at his place, and then I drove back to the area where I am staying. Along the way, I stopped at a park to walk some more and be alone for a while. As I was walking, I met a lady who was walking her dog. The dog was all muscle and I made a comment about it being part bulldog. She told me the breed was a combination of bulldog and pit. Trixie was the dog’s name and she was very sweet.
“I’m Lona,” I said.
“My name is Joy,” she replied.
How ironic! The second woman named Joy that I have met and spoken with here in California. I wonder, does this mean something? Maybe it is just God’s way of letting me know there is plenty of Joy to be found, even in the middle of a very challenging time. I don’t have to look for Joy —Joy just showed up. All I had to do was say hello.
I took a bunch of pictures while walking in the park. The trees there were so very interesting. Leave a note and tell me what you think about them.
After 5 days of sitting with my son as he had chemo that merged into a weekend where he was feeling way beyond miserable, it was time for a break. Bryon needed some time alone and I needed to step away from cancer and oncology, and focus on something different.
I arrived in California the Saturday before Bryon started his chemo. I went to church with Bryon and Amber (Bryon’s sweet, sweet girlfriend) and met a lovely woman named Joy. She was raised in the South and has a sister who lives near Charlotte. She approached me and we talked about Cheerwine and pimento cheese and, of course, Bryon. I gave her my card and later on she texted me to check in to see how we were all doing. She made an offer, “If you need time away, let me know”.
I took her up on it. Joy came and picked me up on Monday, took me to lunch and we chatted away about our lives. Joy is an artist too. She told me about being a screen writer and director of the Sugar Gang movies as well as the Mandie movies (that is so cool!!). Joy also paints and she took me to see what she was working on. Let me just say, the girl is good!
Then she took me to Eaton Canyon. We went on a short hike and she told me about watching out for rattle snakes as we walked down the jeep-sized dirt path. As we walked over a bridge, I looked out and there was a pair of sneakers hanging from a tree. I took a picture and wondered how and who put those sneakers in the top of that tree so far off the ground.
My new friend pointed down to the shallow creek and told me that it was unusual that there was water in the stream. “It doesn’t happen often,” she said. We walked further down the dirt path and made our way down to the creek. It was lovely there. I pulled out my phone and took some more pictures. I took note of a speckled stone and Joy reached down and collected it for me.
It was a good day. Here are some pictures — I thought I would share them with you.
This is my break from my son’s cancer.
My husband, Steven, and I had a date this holiday season. We went to the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden to see the Christmas lights. It was chilly, but it was such an enjoyable time I thought I would share with you some of the pictures.
