Day 1184 Home

 

How sweet was it that my friend gave me this beautiful watercolor of our American flag? Her mom was an artist, and after she passed, my friend told me she knew her mom would have wanted me to have it. I cherish the memories of her mom, as well as this painting. She’s the same artist I commissioned to do a painting for my dad of the school where he worked for almost thirty years. That painting is prominently displayed in my living room now, reminding me of my dad daily.

My Veterans Day was unusually low-key this year, not my typical day filled with community events, parades, and ceremonies. I was busy prepping for Tim’s return home after almost a full week away at a football game with his brothers and nephews. The guys aim for an annual trip, though it ends up being more like every other year at best. Tim came home full of stories and a few photos, and he was just as eager to be home as I was to have him here.

I love that each of us can do our own thing, travel without being attached at the hip. We’re both independent souls who need a little freedom to move and groove. After catching up and laughing over his stories, we settled in front of the fire, each in our respective chairs—me playing on my iPad, him pretending to scroll through his phone. The snoring gave him away, of course, but every so often he’d wake up and pretend he was actually reading something. We sat quietly next to each other for a couple of hours before heading to bed early.

I’ve been struggling with a bit of insomnia these past few weeks, it’s been tough. But rest assured, during the hours between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m., I’ve solved most of the world’s problems, worked out my schedule, and left no mental stone unturned. Sometimes I’m surprised my brain doesn’t explode with all the ideas rushing through it! The 1 a.m. wake-ups make for very long days, so today I’ll be heading to CVS for a bit of NyQuil or another sleep potion... I can't keep this up!  Tim, on the other hand, slept like a baby, keeping me entertained with his nightly snoring lullaby. Even with all that noise, it sure was nice to have him home.

As much as I love being out and about I equally love our simple moments, the quiet evenings, shared stories, and the little reminders of those we’ve loved and lost. They ground us, fill our hearts, and remind us that home isn’t just a place, it’s the people and memories that make it whole....now if only I could get a good night sleep!