She Can Do It All

(I wrote this post a few weeks ago and then I thought it went to cyber heaven.  How glad I was when I found it today!)


Yes, I know.  It's been several wagon loads of days since I have set down here to share some of my thoughts.   Now, if I were my friend who can do it all, posting my blog would have been done long before the wagon load of day even thought about crossing the sky a month ago.

It's hard to believe a month has gone by and a lot of great things have occurred during the month.  But today my thoughts are about my friend, Margaret, who can really and truly do it all.

I am sure that you know a person who can cook up a storm, or one (surely there are not too many) who even cleans her house from top to bottom--maybe even the baseboards--on a regular basis (ugh!) and maybe you even know one who irons the sheets, or one that can sew a bedspread or curtains or both in the same day.  Or one that has her own tool belt and knows how to use the tools.

But how many women can you think of that can do all of the above?   Plus play bridge?   And keep a beautiful garden?   And knows how to enjoy a glass of wine?  And enjoys laughing?  And can create a gourmet meal in a few minutes?  I could go on and on.

Margaret is that kind of person.  She is a hundred pounds of ability and she goes a hundred miles an hour each day.  (Hmmmm-it just dawned on me--maybe if I went at that speed I might get more done.  But then again, can I go at that speed even if I tried?  I don't think so.)

You don't find many like her.  In fact, I would say that Margaret is one of a kind.  She not only is so talented in the ways mentioned, she is also so helpful.  When she sees where she can help, she does.  (And since I usually need lots of help, I love having her around!)

Now here is the best thing about my friend for thirty-five or so years...she loves me and my family.

The fact that she loves my daughters, my sons-in-law, and our grandson means more than the best gourmet meal she can prepare (and let me tell you there have been many of those!)  She even loves my husband.  (They are both very smart and try to outsmart each other on a regular basis.  Fun to watch!)

In fact, there have been so many fun times with her and our husbands over the years including vacations to Florida, tennis matches, Trivia Pursuit matches (that ages us, doesn't it?), Mountain View trips, and many dinners and nights out.  The memories make me smile and the jokes and laughter between us fill my heart with gladness.

How lucky I am to have such a friend.  When she's around, the wagon loads of day are definitely better.

Thanks, my friend who can do it all.  You are a treasure.

Changes

A little bit of winter crept its way into the wagon load of day this morning.  Just a touch to remind us that soon we won't be seeing the beautiful leaves turning colors nor even the leaves on the trees.  Of course we all know that Arkansas winters are fickle.  The middle of December can produce a day much like  this--crisp but sunny. 

But change is definitely in the air.   Change manifests itself in many ways and it's not only in the seasons. 

Today it is the moving truck outside our neighbor's home.   I knew this day was coming for a couple of months but I wasn't ready for it.  It has produced a sense of sorrow for me.  The sorrow is for a lost opportunity.  She has been my neighbor for 6 months and I have visited with her only a handful of times.  I am sorry for that and told her so today as I gave her a goodbye hug. 

We could have been good friends; we could have enjoyed going out to dinner and sharing a bottle of wine.  We could have started our day with a cup of coffee together and encouraged each other to do the things on our lists for the day. It would have been fun to have a real neighbor that I honestly knew not just waved to while passing. 

So as I watch the boxes being loaded and soon the truck pulling away, change is taking place.  Will I take this unwanted change and learn from it?  Will I seize opportunities as they come my way and embrace them?  Will I make the effort next time before it is too late? 

Will I change?

The answer I guess will be found in the next few wagon loads of day.  I hope so.