Just DO it!

There are a few life-changing moments that shake your world....one of them is the death of a parent.  

Dad's airplane quilt - 2011
Yellow Brick Road, on point.

 

 

But that was a month ago!  Life should be normal again, right?  But, the weeks roll by and here I sit....twiddling my thumbs.... I just don't know what to do with myself!  Every night when I finish work I think "... now what do I do..."  until it's a respectful time to just go to bed.

 

 

 

 

I'd heard it said if you do something for 21 days straight, it becomes a habit. That is true statement...for more than 21 days, every day ... morning and night.... I'd drive over to sit with dad. 
I swear, now every time I get in my car, it fights me to drive to dad's.

 

 

 

While you need to give yourself grace, there comes a point in time when you simply just Pick Yourself Up and Just DO IT!

 

 

 

So, that is what I'm doing....forcing myself to sit down at the sewing machine every evening and sew, even if it is for only 10 minutes
(usually turns into an hour or so.)  

 

 

I'm starting with the project purchased from Country Sampler in Omaha last month.  HERE

It's new and fresh and fun...and easy, mostly....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The hardest part...flying geese.  I only need 60.

 

 

 

 Other things to restart my life;

*perusing quilt sites and saving pictures of quilts I like; 

*this Saturday my quilting friend, Carolyn, is coming over for tapas and wine and she's bring a show-n-tell....what else.... Oh, yes, 

*A niece, Lauren, (who I met for the first time when she and her family came to Paducah for dad's memorial) is a new quilter!  She lives in Chicago, but there is Zoom, so we'll connect.

 

 

That makes two nieces who are quilters!

 (Dez's first nine patch.)

 

 

There IS life after death....both for me and for dad....
He is alive in heaven, worshiping at the feet of Christ all day long.  Psalms 95:6

Gentlemen! (Gentlewoman) Re-Start Your Engines!

 

It has been an exhausting few months with dad's accident and subsequent hospitalization and finally his passing late last month.

Since then, it's been a busy two weeks with a constant stream of family and friends coming and going...planning a memorial and starting the process of cleaning out dad's things.

The Memorial was very nice and, much to my surprise, quite a number of people traveled long distances to attend. 
It's not that easy getting in this small community and about 45 family members made the effort, including 8 of the 9 kids and a good sampling of grandkids and great grandkids. Coming from California, Nevada, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, Colorado and Tennessee to name just a few places.  (What is it they say about "Marrying and Burying" bringing families together?)

 

My dad was well loved so people came from far and near.  There was a lot of  food, some laughing, telling funny stories, lots of tears and quite a few rounds of margaritas.  

 

 

And then all too soon we were saying goodbye with a farewell breakfast at
Cracker Barrel,  keeping our family tradition alive.

 

Now it is time to get back to a normal life.  That would include quilting and ukuleleing.

Stepping into Glory

 

Dad's earthly walk is finished; he has fought the good fight;

2 Timothy 4:7

⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 

The night before his passing I stayed all night with him and tried not to be grumpy and tired (not  knowing it would be the last time.)  Every time he cried out I'd say "I'm here, dad..." and he'd settle back down. And then the next day, he was gone from this world and stepped into Glory.  We were expecting it, but somehow it still took me by surprise.

Psalm116:15

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants.

Dad is now with his Redeemer.  I can rest in the fact that all is OK....but, how I will miss him!