Wednesday Night Hodgepodge

I haven't joined in a Wednesday Hodgepodge for years, but tonight, it feels right, so I'm going to do it.  This will also likely be my last post for a few days - busy long weekend planned.  It will be a final "hurrah for fall" before we have more snow and colder weather next week.  Let's get going on a brutally honest Wednesday Hodgepodge.  Linking up with blog friends Linda,  and Rebecca Jo. 

1. Do you (or did you used to) watch talk shows? Which are or were your favorite? 

I am not much of a talk show fan.  Back in the day (clear back  in the 80s), when I was a stay at home mom with two little girls, I used to catch a bit of Oprah now and again, but I was never a super fan. Now I sometimes watch the last few minutes of Dr. Phil while waiting for the local 5 p.m. news to come on.  That's about it for me and talk shows. 

2. Would you describe yourself as resilient? If so what do you think makes you that way? If you answered no explain why? 

I'm pretty resilient, even though some things have happened, especially in the past four years, that completely blindsided me.  I am working through stuff, doing my best, and I'm still standing. 

3. What parts of life have surprised you the most? Explain. 

I thought that once my kids were adults, it would be much easier to parent.  I wish I could say that was the case, but the past few years, that has not been my reality.  Adult children bring adult problems and as a parent, I can't really help solve things for them the way I could when they were little.   It can be really tough to watch grown-up children deal with tough things.  Sometimes they make decisions we wish they wouldn't and that is the hardest part. 

4. Why do you live where you live? 

I live near Salt Lake City, Utah. We have lived a bunch of different places, but this is where our family roots are (although I was born in Colorado) and this is where we started our marriage out.  Both Charly and I graduated from high school here (different high schools) attended and graduated from college, got married and had our first two children here. We moved away so Charly could get a better job and I could be a stay-at-home mom. We lived in Nebraska, Central California, Illinois, Southern California and Arizona as Charly's career moved from one place to another.  One Sunday in 2015, Charly and I were sitting in church when a thought struck me really hard (God?) that we needed to move back to Utah.  I thought Charly would say "no way" but he readily agreed. We planned for two years and even bought a house up here to move into.  We ended up moving up in 2017 and things went so smoothly with the move until we actually got up here, and then a lot of things started falling apart, or at least it felt that way.  Now, I can see the wisdom in making the move, even with the challenges we faced.  It was the right thing for us at the time. This is where we need to be right now. There have been challenges, true, but also many blessings.  Will we live here the rest of our lives?  I don't know.  Maybe, maybe not. Charly wants to move back to California when I retire. Me, not so much.  We shall see.  A lot of water can flow under the bridge between now and then. 

5. A memory from this week that made you smile? 

I love afternoon walks with my husband - talking about the events of the day and upcoming plans.  I took this picture on one of our walks - a single flower standing strong and beautiful in a blanket of fall leaves.  It reminds me of how life is sometimes, and how we can stand strong and beautiful, even in the midst of changes.

6. Insert your own random thought(s) here. 

• There are a few things on my mind this Wednesday night.  One of my aunt's passed last night.  She was 78. She was smart and funny and also very kind to me.  I haven't seen her in years since we moved away from Southern California.  Talk about resilience, she had a major stroke when she was 48 and survived and blessed her family for another 30 years.  Aunt Bernie, you will be missed.  Now, only three of the twelve children in my birth mother's family are still living. 

• My youngest son decided he'd had enough of the hostile work environment at the place he has worked for the past 2 1/2 years.  He said it was getting worse and worse, so today was his last day.  He was going to quit after Christmas to do an internship required by his college anyway.  His plan now is to get a temporary job for the holidays with UPS.  He has worked with UPS over the holidays before and liked it. Still, as a mom, I am a little nervous and worried - just wanting the best for him in life.  I want nothing more than for him to be successful and have everything he wants, but I know we often get problems and challenges to overcome and I want him to deal with things as he sees fit.  So, I sit back and wait and hope and pray a lot. 

• We had more "drama" from our son-to-be ex-son-in-law this past week.  I am glad to know what is going on but this is not fun.  This is the first (and hopefully only) divorce in the immediate family, and we are not used to the nastiness. We are getting good counsel and laying low and staying out of things, and, once again, we are praying for our daughter and grandkids. A lot.  

On a more upbeat note, all of my Q1 grading at school is finished and report card grades posted.  Wow, there was a lot of grading, but it's done for now.  There will be more soon enough.  Now, it's time for a long "Fall Recess" weekend, and I plan to enjoy it.  (The sunrise picture is the awesome view I get each morning from my classroom window). 

Thanks for visiting.  Enjoy the end of this lovely fall week.  

😊Deb💚

"Challenges are what makes life interesting.  Overcoming them is what makes life meaningful."

~Anon.