Tag: family (page 3 of 13)

Pumpkin Weather

jennifer-michie-teeny-pumpkin

It feels like pumpkin weather. The mornings are cool and damp. There is a crispness to the air. I’ve been quiet here as of late, because I’m home staying with my sister and helping with the new baby. So I’ve been lost in the world of pumpkins and baby toes and baby smiles and that delicious new baby smell. Happiness is…

jennifer-michie-tiny-toes

This morning after the school run we grabbed some breakfast and now a fresh loaf of bread is rising on the stove. We’re cozied up with cups of tea and all taking turns holding this little bundle of love.

Have a lovely weekend wherever you may be and know if you’re in the throws of Hurricane Matthew like we are, you are in my thoughts. xo

Happy Father’s Day

Jennifer Michie Dad and Bambi

As we moved into this weekend, I continued to be deeply saddened by recent events. But I believe that we must continue to strive forward; to look for the good in humanity; to look for the good in the ones closest to us. I reflected on the fact that this will be the first Father’s Day of my Father’s life, that he doesn’t have his own Dad to celebrate with. I am extremely blessed as I have not yet known the loss of a parent and I hope a million moons pass before I ever walk that path.

With everything horrible that is going on in the world today, I think it is easy to lose sight of what really matters. What is truly important is that we love and that we tell those that we love that we love them. I am fortunate to not only love, but to be loved in return. It is simple. Because my Dad exists, the world is a better place.

Not all parents are created equal. Some people don’t have parents to be proud of. But, I do! I want to shout it from the rooftops, that my Dad is mine and that I love him!

{P.S. See that little cutie in the front? That’s MY DAD!}

Playing in the Garden

Jennifer Michie Garden 1 Jennifer Michie Garden 2 Jennifer Michie Garden 3 Jennifer Michie Garden 4 Jennifer Michie Garden 5

It was cool on Tuesday and when evening came the heavens opened and it rained all night! We woke up yesterday to an emerald green world. My mom and I threw on shoes and went out to play in the garden in our pyjamas. Weeding, cleaning up and looking in amazement at all the beauty that seemed to spring forth from the dirt in a single night.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Jennifer Michie Mom in Charleston

That’s my mom in the above photo, in Charleston, South Carolina when she was a teenager. Isn’t she beautiful? She still has that same sweet face and gorgeous smile!

Happy Mother’s Day to grandmothers, mothers and sisters too! This year I am getting to celebrate Mother’s Day in a very special way, for the first time in a very, very, very long time, I am not only in the same country as my Mom, but I get to spend Mother’s Day with her!

She is not only my Mom, but a soulmate in life.

Happy Mother’s day, I love you!

Quiet

Quiet. Quiet is how I feel.

I have lost a loved one this festive season and it has made me simply crave quiet, to crave peace. Although, both are in short supply at the moment.  I’ve not visited here, because I’ve had little to say. I’ve been lighting my candles, listening to music, baking bread, cooking, reading; just being.

It’s made me step back from the edge of the surging river, that is the holiday season. I love Christmas, it makes me sad that it is such a rush. There is too much hustle and bustle. When do we stop to take in the beauty of the season around us? To enjoy family and friends? Everything seems to be moving more and more to a harried finish line, where once crossed, we come out the other side dazed, dishevelled and confused, wondering what happened to Christmas in the first place?

Christmas is about being with the people you love, cherishing the time you have and being present in the moment. And that is exactly what I plan to do – to relish the quiet moments; to enjoy the noise of jovial voices and laughter; to find myself amongst all of it whole again.

The memories you make with those that you love are so very important. For it is memories that you are left with.

Maisy

Jennifer Michie Maisy

Quiet. That is how I feel lately. Quiet. My family suffered another loss last weekend, this time of the four-legged kind. We lost an angel. I know that everyone feels this way about their pets, but this wasn’t a pet, this was a family member.

We got her just before Christmas when I was home from College and after the holidays, everyone went back to work and it was just me and her. We were buddies. We had almost 13 wonderful years with her.

On her punky days, the fur behind her ears smelled like popcorn. She was a people person, she preferred two legs to four. She was most content when you would just sit with her and she would often call break time when you were busy cleaning the house. Butting you in the leg with her head to tell you it was time to sit with her for a while.

She saved my dad’s life when he had pneumonia, she wouldn’t leave my mom’s side when she was unwell, you would physically have to carry her outside to go to the bathroom, because she refused to leave the room. She was always chief of security and would make her rounds to ensure everything was well. She loved candy. She loved laying in the sunshine, her long eyelashes resting on closed lids with her gentle little face turned to the sun as she sat sphinx style.

She loved children. She would sulk when suitcases came out and would often lie down inside them, daring you to start packing it. She loved visitors and hated when you left. She was so many things, but most of all she was a furry comfort, a four-legged friend. She had been through moves, deaths and births with us. She kept her wings hidden, but we knew they were there. She’s left her paw print on our hearts and for that we will forever be grateful. I’m reminded of this, which I shared long ago, but wanted to share again today, Lessons From Lucy.

We Must Listen to Our Hearts

My family has lost a loved one this week. It was sudden. I don’t think that anyone has quite come to the realisation just yet. I mourn for the loving spouse and children and grandchildren they left behind.

There is someone else I am very close to who has already walked this path. She knows the loss of a spouse, her child knows the loss of a father. I hope that they can offer some kind words, a bit of wisdom, or simply a hug and knowing look for they have been down this road and they know what is ahead for the ones left behind. Sometimes our most difficult of situations become our greatest blessings as they give us the hindsight to help someone else. We grow in the valleys, not the mountain tops, right?

It is in times like this that I feel we must listen to our hearts, we must do what we feel is right to help someone, to support them. Be that a loved one or a stranger. For life is so very precious and fleeting. We are the tide, we are one wave, that hopefully, slowly builds to maturity before we crash against the shore to return to the vast ocean from whence we surged forth. And, if we’re really lucky, we leave an imprint on those we’ve left behind, not to be forgotten.

Don’t Fight It

Let Me In Arthur Sarnoff

“Don’t fight it!” That is something that my Grandpa, used to say. When something just wasn’t working out and you were trying your damnedest, he’d say, “Hey, don’t fight it!”

I’ve taken his advice to heart this week as everything seems to be breaking. The fan in the bathroom, a leak in the bathroom that is causing water damage on the kitchen ceiling and the dryer deciding that it was ready to give up. I’ve arranged for the calvary to arrive, but that won’t happen till next week.

So, I can’t stress about something that I can’t do anything about. I just take a deep breath and I don’t fight it, because everything will eventually just fall into place.