Simply a Team Teal Moment

I am in my birthday glory, riding in Carrie's backseat as she drives us to the restaurant where we will celebrate with a nice dinner. She and Doug chat away in the front seat as I happily open my birthday cards and packages in the back.

I have a package to open from a dear friend of my mom’s. Actually, now that my mom’s journey is done, I proudly call Judi my friend. She is a beloved soul and a sweet connection to my mom – something I am oh so grateful for. I tear open the padded envelope with excited anticipation and I pause for a moment to appreciate her pretty wrapping – beautiful pink tissue paper with a bright orange ribbon tied in a generous bow.

"Oooh! Look how pretty!” I say, holding it up for Doug and Carrie to see. Doug admires it in the way a boy admires things like that, but Carrie sternly reminds me that she can’t look right now.

I untie the orange ribbon and pull the pink tissue paper back to reveal an adorable apron. “Oh I love it!” I squeal as I lift it up, allowing the fabric to unfold and reveal the apron front. And then my eye catches a sweet little extra in the apron pocket – a handwritten recipe card tucked there, just like my mom always did when she gifted an apron – with a favorite recipe from Judi.

In this moment my mom is right here with me – a memory tucked inside an apron pocket from a thoughtful friend. Gosh, I love my birthday and the gifts of this wonderful life.

♥

As I link up with Alexa today for her monthly “Simply a Moment” meme, I’d like to express my gratitude to her. After a two-year run, this is the final installment for “Simply a Moment.” Thank you, Alexa, for hosting us and encouraging us to stop and notice our special moments. It’s been my pleasure to join you!

PS: I made the recipe that was written on Judi’s card, and I’ll be sharing that on my blog tomorrow.

Hey! How did you know? A simple moment.

"I'm soooooo jeally..." she cooed as she lifted my new phone off the counter. In an instant she had pressed the button and swiped her finger across the screen, revealing the passcode keypad like magic.

"Three, f..." I began, but her quick and nimble fingers had entered my passcode before I could speak all four digits.

"Hey!" I said, "How did you know my code?" and she laughed.

"Because it's my code too! I just automatically entered it without thinking."

Suddenly I'm transported back in time - back to a time when my sweet little Carrie had to stand on her tiptoes to see the keypad in the grocery store. We'd stop there on occasion after work/school, and she always insisted on doing the debit card swipe and "secret passcode" at the check-out. The same "secret passcode" that we have each assigned to our own phones, some 20 years later.

"This is so cool, Mom-friend," she continued, turning my new phone over in her hands to examine it further. "I'm happy for you..."

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I'm linking up with Alexa today, and you can read more
Simple Moments on Alexa's blog by clicking here.

♥

Simply a Moment in Coffee Town

I stumble to the kitchen before the sun comes up and feel my way to the stove hood where I’m able to turn a small light on. As my eyes adjust to the light, I fumble for two coffee cups, the sugar and creamer. And now a spoon. The coffee pot is still bubbling – squeezing out those last few drops to make a full pot, but I’m in no mood to wait this morning. I yank the coffee pot out of its resting place and fill cups for Doug and me as the remaining drops of coffee drip and sputter onto the burner.

As I lift my cup off the counter I hear the sound of Doug's house slippers shuffling in the hallway so I wait for him. He joins me and we clink our cups together in an early morning toast to us. "Good morning," we softly mumble to each other.

And with that first sip of the day, all is well in Coffee Town.

♥

Joining with Alexa today for her monthly Simply a Moment.

{Read other simple moments here.}

Simply a Moment ~ As We Were

My blog friend, Flower Jane had a great idea to share an old photo and tell a story about it, so I went digging. The old cigar box I keep on a shelf was brought down and I foraged through its contents until I found this black and white photo from 1961.

 

Grandma, 41 ~ Marti, 19 ~ Deb, 3 days  

I'm in a funk these days, still nursing some broken heartstrings after the dismissal of some dear co-workers, and my mind follows suit by thinking up a list of all the sad things that have happened in the lives of my grandmother, mom, and me since this photo was taken. I play the list in my mind like a broken record: my grandfather's passing, my uncle being drafted and going to Vietnam, my dad leaving several times, and my mom's battle with ovarian cancer. "We had no idea in that moment what challenges were ahead of us," I think to myself.

"But wait!" says happy me. "There have been all sorts of good things in the mix as well," and I have to dig deep into the corners of my mind to list them. Why, I wonder, is it sometimes difficult to focus on the positive when the negative just comes so easy? Of course there were good times - the birth of my grandmother's first grandchild, yours truly, for one!

We had no way of knowing, way back in 1961 what the future held, but in hindsight it's clear that we could handle whatever came our way. How fortunate am I to come from a strong line of resilient women, captured in a black and white photograph at the beginning of our journey together.

I'm linking to Alexa for Simply a Moment
And to Flower Jane for As We Were

♥