When Life Gets Heavy

Good morning. I know I’ve been pretty silent on the blog lately. I have wanted to vlog but the reality is that it’s been really busy. We had a death in the family, we traveled to FL, for the funeral, and when that happened, I was already in the middle of trying to ground myself to “being ok” and trying to change our schedule to something that works better for me.

I’m still also processing Aunt Martha’s death. The trip to Amelia Island (Fernandina beach), and Yulee, captured our attention and was intriguing and was seemingly like a vacation in a way – one that was much needed as the oceanside can be healing. So the grieving process didn’t begin until we got home as our minds were filled with so many pretty and new things, good views, restaurants and seafood – other than the funeral day itself. But the cemetery was so beautiful with the old “Florida Trees” and their Spanish moss, everywhere.

The ocean, in its vastness, reminds you of how open your life can be as well. That life doesn’t have to be crowded, that it’s a blank slate and you can fill it how you want, and how God intends, that you are not stuck on a train track to no where.

With a death in the family of those you were close to, or loved, it also reminds you of your own mortality needless to say. So I’ve been processing a lot this past week after our trip (shown on the next vlog). Thinking about my health, better attempts to be healthy, and continuing my journey to stay active.

But today’s vlog is our week before the news, getting the news, and planning our trip and taking the trip. So a lot packed in this one. I chose to do it as one vlog instead of two. You can watch it HERE.

But this week since we got back – we have been unpacking, and trying to catch up, and sync up with life – so the next one is a RESET vlog.

While we were gone, it was hard to start the grieving process, but now that we are back, it’s hit pretty hard this week. She won’t be here for this year’s Christmas. We can’t pick up the phone and call, and there will not be any more calls from her. I won’t be shopping for her special Christmas gifts this year. And likely Uncle Ken won’t come up for Christmas this year, but we will obviously invite him. It may be too hard for him to do this without her this year. He tells us he’ll see us in Feb/March of 2027.

We are, however, committed to supporting our Uncle Ken. We love him dearly and will be here for him for whatever he needs and whatever we can do from this far away. We will encourage him to move closer as he ages and help attend to his care if he wants that from us. And we will continue to be in touch often. He is and always will be a big part of our family.

We have a couple of more trips we’ll be taking. And so life is still really busy and my to do list is bursting at the seams, but I keep prioritizing and getting the most important things done. Other than YouTube, my commitment to you guys, my stuff usually gets done last. I’ve tried to keep up with our house, laundry, do some cooking to pitch in, take care of Mom’s bills, sale of house (changed realtors), her needs, her never ending desires, insurance changes, family birthdays, and so forth.

I have also been trying to get my rest and to stop doing anything by 6 p.m. and enjoy down time, dinner, and get to bed at a decent hour.

It’s finally raining here today as the hurricane remnants have arrived. So even though today is busy here at the house, the rain is sounding pleasant. And the winds arrive later. So hopefully I can get all my work done in case the power fails.

I am looking forward to a life reset soon, aside from the vlog coming next week when we reset from vacation. I haven’t even had much time to sit and think and plan and fix things. But I have a vision of what I want my next segment of life to look like. I’m wanting to enjoy the rest of this year, and looking forward to next year. So I’m in a good place, but it just feels so weird to not have my Aunt at a phone call away. So much to ponder this week but we have some fun plans ahead too.

I will get some planning in today – at least for the next week or so and I’m looking forward to having some space and time today, as the rain falls outside. Until next time….

You can watch this week’s vlog HERE.