Role Reversal

Pixabay.com

Wow. Are we in trouble in the Lewis household.

I’ve told you before that my husband, computer analyst and general figure-everything-out-and-fix-it-person, had a couple of strokes in the past couple of years. This has resulted in some interesting situations.

I’m the original use-it-but-don’t-understand-how-it-works person. I’m fine as long as something works. When it is throwing a fit, spewing water, smoking, or is simply on strike, I have no patience. My eyes glaze over and what few brain cells I had leave.

The touching/interesting situation this morning was that my husband came into the office and told me that he had moved the laundry load from the washer to the dryer and had loaded the washer again, but couldn’t get it to start.

“Touching ” because I really appreciate his recent efforts to pitch in and help me do things around the house. “Interesting” because I have shown him how to start the washer 5 or 6 times now and he really has trouble grasping it. Add “grateful” because he isn’t angry about it, just quietly came and asked for help. Add “melting” because he’s my favorite man in the world and I’m still trying to adjust to our role reversal.

I showed him, talking him through it, having him push the buttons as we decided which ones to push, and had him wait with me as the machine changed from ‘add garment’ to the ‘lock’ icon which shows you’re in business.

I then hugged him and thanked him for his help.

This is the same man who gave up on trying to explain “quantum computing” to me after we heard a news item on TV last night…

Thursday Slurp

Email from my friend Marsha

Saturday Love

Email from my friend, Marsha

Sharing Love

email from my friend, Marsha

Love on a Sunday 2-19-2023

Email from my friend Marsha

Friday Awwww

email from my friend Marsha

Happy Valentine’s Day 2023

What is love? (From the mouth of babes)

Parade

‘When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore.. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.’

                            Rebecca- age 8 



                            'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. 
                            You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.' 

                            Billy - age 4 



                            'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.' 

                            Karl - age 5 



                            'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.' 

                            Chrissy - age 6 



                            'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.' 

                            Terri - age 4 



                            'Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.' 

                            Danny - age 7 



                            'Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. 
                            They look gross when they kiss' 

                            Emily - age 8 



                            'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents 
                            And listen.' 

                            Bobby - age 7 



                            'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate, ' 

                            Nikka - age 6 
                            


                            'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it every day..' 

                            Noelle - age 7 

---

                            'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.' 

                            Tommy - age 6 



                            'During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. 

                            He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.' 

                            Cindy - age 8 



                            'My mommy loves me more than anybody 
                            You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.' 

                            Clare - age 6 



                            'Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.' 

                            Elaine-age 5 



                            'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford .' 

                            Chris - age 7 



                            'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.' 

                            Mary Ann - age 4 



                            'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.' 

                            Lauren - age 4 



                            'When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.' 

                            Karen - age 7 



                            
                            'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.' 

                            Jessica - age 8 
                            And the final one 

                            The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. 

                            Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.. 

                            When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, 

                            'Nothing, I just helped him cry' 

Sad Anniversary Today 2-5-2023

Jade Wheaton Lewis

A SHORT HISTORY: We married in 1969. Between then and 1977, we lost three babies to miscarriages. (Rh Factor) In 1978 we had our son. In ’79, we lost another baby to miscarriage. In ’80 we had our daughter and our family was complete. Two months later, on February 5,1981, we lost our daughter, Jade, to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

“Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the unexplained death, usually during sleep, of a seemingly healthy baby less than a year old. SIDS is sometimes known as crib death because the infants often die in their cribs.” The peak incidence of SIDS occurs between 1 – 4 months of age; 90% of cases occur before 6 months of age. Babies continue to be at risk for SIDS up to 12 months.”

She was “perfect,” and she was gone. Our minister said, “Jade was born, lived a little while, and then died.” I couldn’t listen to more.

The pain was so intense that we both seriously considered suicide, then decided we had to live for each other and for our son. I read everything I could find on SIDS, and discovered the experts knew very little about it – why it happens or what can be done to prevent it. The experts also told us we were lucky that our son was only 2 – that he wouldn’t understand or remember it. Soon after we lost her, he took Jade’s blanket across the room to the trash can, threw it in and said, “Broken.” So much for the experts.

Lasting effects –

1. I still can’t hold a baby in my arms without crying, even after all this time.
2. I worry for pregnant women or women with babies under 1 year
3. I can’t go to a funeral without falling apart and bringing all the attention to me, so I try to show I care in different ways.

There ARE some positive effects, though –

1. I have learned that there is a core way down deep inside that enabled me to not only survive but to enjoy life again.
2. I have looked at life differently since then, cherishing the people in my life, and all the things that are beautiful and bring me pleasure.
3. I am much more forgiving, even though I threaten my husband from time to time of having the backhoe guy on speed dial to dig a hole for him in the back yard.
4. Our family grew closer and stronger.

A really frustrating thing is that the experts know little more now than they did 42 years ago about SIDS. There are now baby monitors that are very helpful to parents. The experts now suggest that babies sleep on their backs. I haven’t found anything more about the shots that babies get at two months. I will never forget, though, that our pediatrician came out to the house when he heard we had lost her, and cried with us.

I hope that one day I will see Jade again, finding that her spirit is healthy and happy; and that one day the mystery of SIDS is solved.

Hold On

“In the coldest February,
As in every other month in every other year,
The best thing to hold on to is each other.” (Linda Ellerbee)

Unsplash

Monday Nose Nuzzle

Titas Burinskas – Roeselien Raimond – BoredPanda.com

This photo makes me happy.

We have a quiet day today – normal chores and errands. I’m still nursing my arm, so I won’t be hanging from chandeliers or trying to leap tall buildings today. Hopefully, things will be back to what passes for normal tomorrow.

I’m still thinking of a segment on 60 Minutes last night. It was about Hans Zimmer, a man who is famous for creating the music for lots and lots of movies. He is 65, full of life and enthusiasm, love for his craft, and simply fascinating. One part of the segment showed Leslie and him at his ‘work station,’ a thing of beauty, with I think 4 or 5 monitors and other control equipment around a keyboard, with a huge screen for whatever the movie was at the time in front of him. He was in total control, the master of his domain.

Our son is playing with this type of thing, trying to incorporate every day or other worldly sounds into music he is creating. I was able to find a URL of the segment and send it to him. I’m eager to hear what he says.

I hope your Monday is a happy one, with lots of nose nuzzling.

Snug, Safe Haven

Sent by my friend, Marsha

Need a Friday Hug?

Flixxy.com

Thursday Love

Goran Anastasovski -BoredPanda.com

Love for a Wednesday 12-28-2022

Bright Side

Great Way to Spend a Cold Thursday

BeSetFreeToday.com

Your Sunday Love Dose

tumblr-OneGreenPlanet.org

A Day with Friends

Freepik

I really enjoyed yesterday. I reached out to two long-time friends, asking if I could come over for a bit. Nora got right back to me, saying, “YES!” so I jumped into the truck.

Our schedules just don’t mesh, so we hadn’t seen each other in a LONG time. It doesn’t diminish the love in any way – life is just more complicated these days. (She works full time and I’m with my husband full time.)

I was surprised to learn that she is now working from home full time. I don’t know the logistics of it, but I’m delighted that she doesn’t have to spend all that money for gas, or worry about getting to and from Ft. Smith if the roads are bad. She is also having a roof for her patio constructed so that she can enjoy having outside in the mornings. This is a real quality of life issue for her. She’s tried various other more temporary roofs, but with our gusty Arkansas winds, they have blown down or completely blown away. Now she’ll have something that will last. :0) She apparently liked the tote bag I painted for her and complimented the card I painted. Since she is a pastel artist, I’m really happy that she is pleased with my efforts.

We ate lunch and then I heard from another friend, Carla. She said she was out and about, and wanted to come to our place around 4pm. I went scurrying around, making sure she had a comfortable place to sit, a clear place to put down a drink, the bathroom was clean, etc. (That’s what I get for being a slob.)

She brought what is called a “Kaleidoscope Rose.” Isn’t it stunning? I’ve never seen one before. I THINK that this is done very carefully with dyes on each petal to create this. However it happens. I think it’s gorgeous. She also brought chocolates that I am trying my best to stay away from. :0)

She liked her personalized tote, too, laughing at one of the quotes about car racing. (She and her son have a stock car.)

So it was a beautiful day, catching up with two ladies who mean the world to me, getting hugs, bringing up my spirits. What a lucky lady I am!

This Artist Makes Me Cry – Curtis Wiklund 4

Curtis Wiklund and his wife are professional photographers. He sketches as a hobby, and challenged himself to do a sketch a day for a year while his wife did a photo challenge. He decided to do sketches of himself and his wife doing everyday things. The result is beyond beautiful.

Walk at Sunset

We’re Pregnant

Yoga with My Wife

Curtis Wiklund

He has a book called US with all of his sketches in the challenge. I’ve ordered it. You can use the “US” link to order it on Amazon.

Grandparents and Grandkids 3

Sujata Setia – BoredPanda.com

This Artist Makes Me Cry

I found an artist whose work makes me tear up and melt into a puddle. His name is Curtis Wiklund and he is actually a professional photographer. He and his wife, Jordan, live in Michigan. They are both professional photographers and can be hired to do wedding photos, etc. He sketches as a hobby, and challenged himself to do a sketch a day for a year while his wife did a photo challenge. He decided to do sketches of himself and his wife doing everyday things. The result is beautiful. The love flows through his sketches and wraps around you. I’m still tearing up after saving several sketches to share with you. You can find samples of his photos, information on hiring him and his wife, and sketches at Curtis Wiklund. You can purchase prints, the book of his sketches, called US (I just ordered it on Amazon), and more.

“Ah, I love her.”

“Back Scratch as Sedative”

“Christmas Tree”

“Happy Anniversary”

“Mao’s Last Dance”

Heart-Warming Stories 5

123RF

“An eye witness account from New York
City, on a cold day in December,
some years ago: A little boy,
about 10-years-old, was standing before a shoe store on the roadway, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering with cold.

A lady approached the young boy and said,
‘My, but you’re in such deep thought staring in

that window!’

‘I was asking God to give me a pair of
shoes,’ was the boy’s reply.

The lady took him by the hand, went into
the store, and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel. He quickly brought them to her.

She took the little fellow to the back
part of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed his little feet, and dried them with the towel.

By this time, the clerk had returned with
the socks. Placing a pair upon the boy’s feet, she purchased him a pair of shoes..

She tied up the remaining pairs of socks
and gave them to him. She patted him on the head and said, ‘No doubt, you will be more comfortable now.’

As she turned to go, the astonished kid
caught her by the hand, and looking up into her face, with tears in his eyes, asked her.
‘Are you God’s wife?’ “

_____________________

Stories forwarded to me by my friend, Marsha.

Grandparents and Grandkids 2

Sujata Setia – BoredPanda.com

Love Is Toe Warmers

Though my husband won’t admit it, he is a Type II Diabetic. (He just says he has a sugar problem). Among other things, this causes his hands and feet to get really uncomfortably cold. I got him some diabetic socks recently, but he wasn’t happy with them, preferring the really thick socks found recently. Then I think it was my friend Marsha who suggested foot warmers and gave me a URL.

REI Co-Op sells foot warmers. They also sold toe warmers and hand warmers. I ended up ordering some of each, thinking he could try them and we could re-order what he liked. The box arrived today.

He just came into the office where I was at the computer listening to music. He gave me a huge hug and said ‘THANK YOU’ with tears in his eyes. This is very unusual for him, so I just continued to look at him. He went out and returned with the box of warmers. He had taken the toe warmers out and was wearing them with his thick socks in his tennis shoes and said his toes were warm for the first time during the day in as long as he could remember. He hugged me again. By then I, also, had teared up.

You never know what will make a difference. Since he really liked the toe warmers – and PROMISED me he would monitor things carefully to make SURE they weren’t causing him problems, (he has numbness in the toe area on his left foot) I will just monitor him carefully, checking his feet at night to see if I can see any problems.

Since I had only ordered six pairs of toe warmers, I researched the item to see what the range of prices was. I found a good deal at Amazon and ordered a large box. They’ll be here next week.

Who would have thought that one definition of ‘love’ is ‘toe warmers’?

Tuesday Love 12-6-2022

The Paw Print – Essential Pet

Grandparents and Grandkids

Sujata Setia – BoredPanda.com

Saturday Nose Hug

Bright Side

If

Make Time for Love

Goran Anastasovski – BoredPanda.com

Thursday Love 12-1-2022

BoredPanda.com

Here’s a Hug

One Green Planet

I thought we might share one.

Sing It! Thanksgiving 2022

ShokoLani

Having a happy day already. I’ve chatted with several friends and relatives this morning, reaching out to share our love and wishes for a happy celebration today. I’m feeling very lucky to be in a warm, dry house, husband sleeping in his chair in the living room, getting ready to start cooking, and feeling surrounded by love. Absolutely priceless. :0)