FRIDAY ENCOURAGMENTS~Shabbat Blessings

I wasn’t sure how this Friday would turn out: both of my scheduled freewheeling Friday options didn’t look like they’d be happening today.

And I was missing Bob.

Big time.

Today is a special day for me; this is the day Bob called me to set up our first date. Admittedly, April 15^th, 1974 was a long time ago … but, in my heart, it seems like only yesterday.  This is not an ‘old woman thing’, or a ‘widow thing’ – I have always felt this way about today’s date: 44 years of marriage, or 48 years of remembering, hasn’t dulled the glow that that memory touches my life with: it had a special significance to me then, and it has a special significance to me now.

April Reflections Post: https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2022/04/april-reflections.html

I was standing in the kitchen this morning, admiring how the yellow parrot tulip had opened so prettily overnight; and also thinking how each heart-shaped rock had been discovered every time my life needed a boost (most of them were found in the river rock surrounding this house, months following Bob’s physical death).

Yellow Double Peony Tulip & Heart-shaped Rocks.

Bob liked the sunny color of yellow. And when I started planting tulips in my flowerbeds decades ago, Bob’s favorite was the yellow tulip.

While I was standing there, admiring the colorful spread of the salvaged tulip blossom (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2022/04/in-for-pennyin-for-pound.html); and remembering how and where each heart-shaped rock had been discovered and collected, I was encouraged to join the Lexington Coffee Hour.

Obviously, my quick exit following Sunday’s Communion, was not going to be an issue (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2022/04/walking-with-god.html).

I washed my hair, and switched my pj’s for out-of-house clothing.

We are all learning about each other.

We are building community; we do not have to agree with one another about everything in our lives … we do not necessarily have to like the same people: we just have to be a friendly team, moving together in harness, as we move through life 😊

There will be bumps along the road of life’s journey.

None of us share ourselves 100% – there are parts of our lives that no one will ever get to know. And that’s okay.

True Friends understand that. MPO

But we can get to know the parts of each other we are all comfortable sharing 😉

Deborah Kerr – ‘Getting To Know You’ song:

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vlx6gQWfjp0)

While we talked, laughed, shared memories about people we’ve known, commented on the snaky turns our personal lives have taken over the years, shared about how we’d met our spouses, listened while grandkids were praised, ect.; I worked on my second set of fingertip towels.

Fingertip Towels; set 2. 'Stripy' Peaches & Creme Cotton Yarn.

Before we knew it, 3 hours had passed. In the beginning of our coffee time I mentioned that I had actually planned to be in Adna this morning to buy veggie and flower transplants I don’t have a green thumb for growing, but the snowfall all week had put the kibosh on that plan. As I was leaving, I was asked what I planned to do tomorrow, and I said I was hoping to get to the Vancouver Seder I had planned to attend; but again, recent snowfall was a concern. One of the fellas said, “Boy, you sure get around, don’t you?” I smiled, and said, “I try; there’s no reason to be home.” I took a lot of ribbing for that remark, but I didn’t care because it was all in good humor 😊

I felt Elohei’s blessing on this Shabbat.

On my way home over Hazel Dell and Delameter, I noticed a snowy hillside and recalled that Bob and I had driven over that hill many times while we were dating.

Snowy hillside seen from Delameter Road, Castle Rock.

Bob was a logger when we started dating, and for half of our married life, and knew logging road tie-in’s; on weekends, we could weave on and off those logging roads all day long, from Naselle to Castle Rock; briefly driving a short strip of Ocean Beach Highway in between the gavel road weavings.

The gated logging road at the Delameter and Woodside Drive Roads was one such road we spent a lot of time on (before it was gated and closed to the public). After all the decades that have passed since that time, I can still clearly see in my mind’s eye those hot summer days when we were young and carefree – Bob driving his old red/white Ford, gritty dust kicked up from the graveled backroads circling around and dusting the interior of the truck as it filtered in through the opened windows … music blaring from the 8-track player, and us laughing and clowning around as we bounced over the heavily forested rough roads: Bob’s big right hand on my knee, and my left arm over his right shoulder – sharing cigarettes and beers. It may not be the romantic stuff idealized dreams are made of for some folks; but these were magic moments for us 😊

Memories triggered here ...

Bob and I had enjoyed several backcountry logging road tie-ins: this one was accessible from Abernathy before it was gated off. None of the tie-ins are accessible anymore.

There were a few spotty snow patches along Woodside Drive, but most of the snowfall had melted with the warming 49-degree temperatures.

And by the time I exited Coal Creek Road, the hills outside of Longview looked encouraging; the snow seems to be sparse: I'll check the forecast and see what it says about where I need to be traveling - if I decided to 'go for it' tomorrow afternoon.

Feeling encouraged to try for Vancouver tomorrow ...

We’ll see what tomorrow afternoon holds for me 😉