F. I. V. E.

This month marks five years of  blogging for me. "Who knew?" I still remember my first post in March 2006. I pressed the "publish" button with much hesitancy, fear and a dash of anticipation. Little did I know how long I'd continue or how many wonderful friends I would meet. "Blogging 'broadens one's horizons'" is an understatement. I began my blog, I think, as a way of dealing with some of the grief of my dad dying. I talked about him a lot at the beginning. It soon became a place to use the photographs that I love to take as well as a place to write what's on my mind. And probably not more than a day has gone by when I haven't thought of my blog. It's become a bit of a hobby. I'm sure we all can say we look at life a bit differently now, often viewing some life event as "this would make a good blog." It has been enriching and rewarding. My writing and my photography has had some good practice. You know the old adage "practice makes perfect"--or at least improved.  I like to think of my blog as a little room in my house that I tend to. I decorate it the way I like, do some housecleaning occasionally, and sometimes re-wallpaper or change the pictures on the wall. And blogging is for sure a community, totally unimagined 10-15 years ago. I feel like I'm missing something if I don't check in with my blogging friends frequently. And if I don't "see" them, I want to drop them an email to be sure they are doing OK.  The Gardener "knows" them by name, or at least by blog name. Here is one of my first posts, which is fitting as we are in the "spring mode" again.  Five years, or 912 posts ago, I titled this "Tulips on a Garden Path."

As the daffodils fade and azaleas bloom overnight, I frequently remember how much my father and I enjoyed spring a year ago. I'd push Daddy in his wheelchair around garden paths, from tulips to flowering shrubs, until I wearied and we'd settle on the rocking chair porch for a view of the lake. Again and again (at least once a minute) he would point with joy in his eyes and exclaim over flowers, swimming swans, or anything else of beauty around him. What pleasure he experienced each and every time!

Midst a life stage where Dad maybe felt disappointment at how little he could do for himself (but how do we know for sure what he felt?) he experienced a richness of pleasure with his intact senses. And with that he enabled us to experience joy again each time with him, as we would look and exclaim again and again! A gift of grace--so much pleasure at such a difficult time of life! Blessings come wrapped in unusual packages!


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