Memories of a Life

This morning has been rotating pups. Essie came out with me but didn’t eat. She hunkered in on the couch. Then she decided that the light from the laptop was too much so she went back to bed (trying to get me to follow). Now Stella is asleep on the couch behind me. She has both eaten and gone outside.

Nothing memorable happened yesterday. I had one of my regulars come in and say hi (he has made a point of it since telling me his tale of cancer… he is not supposed to make it past the Spring). But I guess that is memorable. He is a sweet older gentleman. He said he is ready to go because he has no regrets and has done everything he ever wanted to do. We have many regulars like him. I don’t know if he has any family locally. I always see him come in alone.

That is one thing that I had dancing too. I got to hear people’s stories. It didn’t matter that I was a stranger (or maybe that is what made all the difference). Some days I felt as though I was in a confessional. I have always loved listening to people’s stories. That is something I have been doing from a young age. Listening. Family and friends alike will always comment on me listening to their stories. When I was very little I would sit and listen to the adults reminisce about this and that. I was allowed to stay up later than my cousins because I would sit quietly while our Aunts and Uncles talked amongst themselves. I have always been able to befriend older adults because I wanted to hear their stories. In Girl Scouts and Brownies we would got to the old folks’ homes all over in the Detroit area to cheer them up. Mostly during the holidays.

I remember working with special needs students a lot too. One of my best friend’s Moms was a special education teacher. We were in her classroom helping on a regular basis. I remember one year helping out a special education class through a school program. I got very attached to that class. I remember that they got me a teddy bear head with a hat and a bell on it. It was to go over a door handle.

I have done so much in my short 49 years. And I am grateful for it all. I will share some more shots from the Botanical Gardens as some shots from around here the following day. Thanks for reading and stay safe!