Father's Day

Today is a day we honor our fathers. I realize that to be fair I should have done this for my mom on mother's day, but there will be another one next year, and I got to see her for mother's day. :)

My papa is easily the most forgiving and generous man I'll ever know. Throughout my life he's been there as an example of Godly living and loving. Even when he was working three jobs and only really getting paid for one of them, he had time to tell me about my great-grandmother, or tell me he was proud of me for the garden, or my piano playing, or sometimes just because. His road has perhaps never been broad or easy, but you can't tell it when he smiles. He has a strength and courage that have their foundations in a love and strength that is bigger than he is, bigger than any problem he must overcome, and he knows that. I'm constantly amazed at his ability to keep going with a smile on his face and a kind word to those who don't deserve it.

Loving the unlovely is something he does daily. I just hope that we (his family) are lovely, and maybe easier to love. That we lighten his load and help to hold him up when life wears him out. My papa is an overcomer. He lives daily in grace and patience. The joy and relief he has given his whole life to those who need it is a beautiful thing to behold and remember. His ability to see the lesson in just about every situation, even when the lesson to be learned is the only possible positive thing, has been a great help to me. I am always trying to remember the lessons he taught me and to see the thing to learn in the seemingly impossible.

I am so glad Douglas Arther Dorris is my papa! I love him so much, thank you papa, for being the best man of God you can, believe me, it shows!

Grammy

I hardly know where to begin writing about my Grammy. She was wonderful. Strong, but knew how to play and have fun, and laugh, she could laugh and laugh. I was blessed to be able to live with her for a time, a few times. She was fiery and steadfast. Her faith was everything and by that I mean that it was the wellspring from which she drew daily her ability to love and live and forgive and sing and give. Oh, she gave. Never have I known someone who gave as much as she did. I miss her so much. So much.

There has been much talk in the last week or so about her among her descendants. One thing that I've thought again and again is how I've missed her for so long, I hardly know what to feel now. Dementia and the gradual break down of physical function took her from us long ago. She was very loved by the people at the home where she stayed her last years. Even when they were clearly tired and worn out, they always had a smile for her. And it speaks volumes to me that despite being practically catatonic for the last little while she never once had a bed sore. My uncle and aunt where perfect advocates for her, making sure she had her own room and going to see her as often as they could. I don't know how they did it, but I'm so grateful they did.

I've found that a lot of memories that I couldn't look at for a while now are surfacing. Remembering times from when I lived with her and before that. Not just the events, but her. Seeing her face, hearing her voice as though I were actually there again. I hadn't let myself do that. The in-between she's been in for so long, where she wasn't really with us anymore, but wasn't on the other side yet either was hard. There isn't another word for it. When I lived with her in Springriver, the retierment village/nursing home where she lived the last two decades of her life, we would go up to the "bighouse"( what we called the building with the apartments and the nursing home ) and visit some of the elderly there. She would always always tell me that she never wanted to live there, or live like that. In those days she could out walk me without trying she was so vivacious and alive! I know that a lot of what made it hard for me these last years was the guilt I felt that she was in the "bighouse". I don't know if I thought I should have had a place for her to be with me, or should have moved there, or if I just knew in a very personal way how hard that was for her. I also knew though, that she wanted so much for me, for all her grandchildren, and that she would never have begrudged me anything, it wouldn't have crossed her mind. I decided I had to deal with it, to try to overcome and live my life. I know that was a big part of how I finally got back in school and away from a very destructive situation, dealing with my feelings of guilt and making some peace with it.

Now I am grieving. Truly grieving. This is not some thing I do well, if anyone does or can do such a thing well. I do think that to do it at all is the beginning. I couldn't help but think of past times when someone close to me died, when I was four my father's dad died and when they told us I remember crying and crying, hard, with sobs and all of it. But I was four, so I don't think it continued to affect me. I have the impression that I dealt with it as best my little self could and that was that. Later, when I had just turned 11 my cousin Matthew died in a car accident. That was very difficult for the whole family. I clearly remember grandpa telling us there would be no TV the day of the funeral, the grief in his voice. I watched all the important people in my life try to deal with the unthinkable, but I didn't deal with it. I told myself he was up there playing basketball and waiting for the rest of us to come home and that was that, he was happy and that was what mattered. Less than a year later grandpa died.

I guess where I'm going with this is that I had occasion to grieve, but I don't know that I ever really figured out how to do it. I think most people just do it, but some of us have to consciously decided to do it. Some of us tend to prefer to act like everything is fine and this is just the natural course of things and any pain or trauma that we might feel gets ignored or shoved aside and dismissed, for whatever reason. I am not going to do that anymore. I don't care if anyone thinks I'm selfish for taking the time to grieve. I don't want to think twice about the value of making sure I do this, or if I should be more concerned with other things going on in my life.

Grammy was possibly the most influential person in my life. I mean that. So I need to make an effort to have great peace with her death and her life and how that entwines with mine.

Less Ordinary

I finished Atlas Shrugged early last week and had thought I'd post my thoughts on the book, but now that I've waited this long I find that I don't have much to say. It is a good story, the ending is ridiculous, given all the build up to it, but the characters and world/reality are very interesting. It's very preachy, but the art of getting a political point across in a novel doubtless requires talent and brains far beyond even the most acclaimed authors. The fact that the book is so very relevant to this day and age, is nothing short of scary. I asked Jason if we could run off and live in the middle of nowhere in Wyoming or something and he just raised an eyebrow at me.

Meanwhile Pickwick is getting himself in all kinds of mischief! I laugh and laugh at times while reading this book. Strikes me as a forerunner to Wooster and Jeeves. The more I think about it, the more I see how this is the work of a younger Dickens, the descriptions are great, and the characters are just that, and I try to keep in mind that these accounts were written as a series printed over time in a magazine, but all the little stories various people interject to read to the Pickwickians or to simply recount to them are exhausting!

On a personal note, my mom came to visit this past weekend. It was great! She beat the bad weather and stayed with my Aunt and Uncle for a while, seeing Grammy during the day and then came up to see us. We took her to the city wide yardsale and had a blast! Then ate delicious dinner and watched Return to Cranford. I LOVE that series!!!! All in all it has been a good week!

Ho Ho Ho

Santa and wine!! Genius really. This is the most recent addition to my collection. Most of which have come from my friend Meredith, she likes to feed collections and has pretty incredible taste if I do say so. I am still doing the journal, but I want to post pictures of my Santa's for a while. Jason and I worked on some stockings and stuffing them, I'm still working on the last part of that, making gifts while working on finals is fun! Actually it is good, I don't get burnt out on either thing.

This house is feeling like Christmas central! My sister and her family will be here for a couple days after the big day and we are both trying to make sure they have a good time while here. I am so looking forward to having the semester firmly behind me and just focus on family and friends and all the projects I've been saving for these short weeks!

Virginia

Ah, the ocean!! I had a wonderful time with my sis and her family and was so blessed that Abby could come with me. It was great to have the cousins back together for some girl time. I loved to just stand and let the waves wash over me, if I'd had a bathing suit I'd have been out in them! My feet are burried in the sand I've sunk that far as the waves move in and out. It was beautiful to stand there and feel that, so much power and beauty holding that moment true. It was quite windy! This is Joella, my sister. On Friday we went to colonial Williamsburg and had a blast looking at shops an having lunch. Abby is probably realizing that I will become annoying with the camera soon. HA!

I did a page when I got home last week and have done another this week. So I'll post them soon, but the camera is not close by and I'm lazy, thus it will keep for another time.