Missing Mom and Dad Today..

I’m missing my Mom and Dad today.

I can’t believe they are gone!

I know they are happy and in heaven. Out of pain and struggle. 

But I sure miss them here. 

While on vacation, I started to send pictures to Mom. Then remembered, she isn’t here to get them. 

I think of things here and there to talk to Dad about and then remember, I can’t. 

The other day, I was in the grocery store and suddenly, I have no idea what triggered it, but I started crying. 

I guess that’s how grief works. 

Learning how to allow my body to process grief is kind of a challenge. Its so much easier to just stuff emotions. 

Not really, but its what we tell ourselves, right? 

I’m trying to allow grief to do its work. So today I thought I would write a blog post about my parents. Sort of helping myself process some grief and hopefully helping others to do the same.

Memories of Mom

As I think of Mom, I remember the project we did together at the church. We started a gardening project. It was a lot of hard work. But she and I did it. Several of the people who worked with us on it remember her and ask about her. They enjoyed her because she was fun to be around. 

I remember going to Ruby’s Pantry because of her. If I couldn’t go, she would pick up food for us too. Like they used to do for us from SHARE. We would get a lot of food from SHARE which really helped stretch our food. 

The kids and I would go down and help at the SHARE warehouse on distribution weeks. Mostly my kids would go, but sometimes I could make it work. One year, she asked me to work on getting a room set up for kids to use as a nursery while parents worked in the warehouse. I spent a lot of time in there. I don’t recall if it ever got used as a nursery, but it was ready for it!

Memories of Dad

As I think about Dad, I remember all the time he spent at the warehouse too. He drove the forklift and helped with loading and unloading food. 

But I go further back with my Dad. I recall being his shadow and following him everywhere he went when I was young. He taught me to mow the grass, play baseball. Ride a bike. Fix lots of things. I rode with him on trips in the Semi Truck. We went all over the country. 

When we moved here and we needed to build a pasture fence, I went and picked him up and had him direct us while we built the fence for the horses. I loved that! We would build things for the farm and ask him for direction and help. He loved that as much as we did.

Memories: Missing Mom and Dad.

Mom and Dad would spend time doing craft days with the youngest kids. They had so much fun laughing, doing some craft and eating pizza and ice cream. 

I’m sure by the time the kids left, Mom and Dad were exhausted!

But the kids have some good memories. 

My Mom and Dad meant so much to me and my family. 

I love how I can go anywhere in this area and start talking about my parents, or someone will ask me about my parents, and people will tell me how they knew them. Some from recycling. Some from SHARE or Ruby’s Pantry. 

They left a legacy of community. 

I hope I can do that someday.