For those of you who read my blog, maybe you've wondered at the long unexplained absence?? I really should have dropped in for an update but my heart was so heavy & posting on the blog seemed so trivial while swirling in the vortex of grief.
To my friends who don't know ~ I lost a dear member of my family on Dec 6th ~ my favorite Aunt Shirley. We always had a very special bond ~ from my earliest childhood memory, growing stronger thru early adulthood & no doubt continuing beyond her death. She played such a pivotal role in my life, I'm still reaching for the phone & reeling all over again when I can't connect.
These past three years have been rough, an emotional roller coaster ~ especially 2012. She was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer in Dec 2008 and fought a battle Hercules would be proud of.... For a time it appeared she had won but the relief & reprieve was short lived. In May of 2012 she was admitted to hospice (now you know why the blog suffered last year) then came the call I'd been dreading.
It seemed like a double whammy, losing her right before the holidays like that. Needless to say, they were memorable for all the wrong reasons. Thank goodness I had gotten a head start on the decorating & shopping or things would have been pretty dismal for my daughter.
Now I'm trying to look forward, forcing myself to go thru the motions of daily life & hoping if I do it enough, I'll feel like I'm actually back to living it.
Peppermint Candy Cane Sugar Scrub I made for holidays gifts ~ get the recipe here.
Thank you to everyone for the Christmas wishes. I'm sorry I didn't get to your blogs to return them ~ I just wasn't (and still am not very much) on the computer ~ except for Pinterest. Pinning has been my salvation throughout this process ~ a happy, enjoyable activity where I momentarily forget my sorrow & escape to a more beautiful life. Whatever it takes, right??
Thanks also for letting me share this very personal post. Part of "behaving my way back to normal" will be trying to get back to posting. Bear with me please...
Gardening is usually my healing balm & I need it more than ever now....