The Bag Lady

Florence paused at the door, “what the hell did you just say?” Florence couldn’t believe it. After all this time and effort, she was a failure. Teenagers–can’t live with them, can’t live without them!

Flo was a single mom and devoted to her two children, Jesse, 15, and Joe, thirteen. Her entire life revolved around them. It was obvious to her, not just this morning, something was missing. Of course it was Harry, she thought sadly. Since Harry had ended up missing in action in Vietnam, she had tried her best. The boys, especially at this age, needed their dad.

They used to be the perfect family, doing everything together, able to pose for the cover of “The Saturday Evening Post”. That’s how everything had seemed at the time, perfect. Then Harry was called to serve in the Army. They’ve been alone since finding out he was missing. Hope for ever seeing their dad again dwindled as time went on. The boys took their disappointment and anger out on their mother in different ways. She tried to explain it was not anyone’s fault, they could be strong together, but as they grew into teens, they proved to be more resistant.

This morning Florence was answered to, “be careful!” she said every morning, with a grumbled, “bug off”. Florence shut the door and settled into the kitchen table to finish her coffee. Reluctantly, she got up, took a shower and readied herself for her volunteer job at the VA hospital. It was not the cheery place it should be at this time of year, but she and a couple of other Army wives were determined to decorate as much as possible.

As she opened the door for the driveway to leave, she spotted a taxi on the street. She started crying immediately as she saw her husband step out of the cab. He was just as she remembered him on the day he left, except he had a little grey in his black hair and was leaning on crutches.

“The best Christmas present ever!” Florence ran down the driveway to embrace her husband.

https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2018/12/04/photo-challenge-241/

We visited this memorial in the seventies with our small children. I could not look down or walk over the ship beneath us. It was very upsetting.

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A song to drive to:

30 Day Song Challenge – Day 1

Living two thousand miles away meant going home for the holidays was rare. Of course we wanted to be there, but long travel with three small children made it difficult. There were some spectacular times and most everyone was glad to be together. But as the usual case, there’s always that one person who immediately ruins the whole idea.

My particular experience for this piece relates to one Christmas I planned with my sister. We were going to try to duplicate my childhood memory of all of us sitting down together, having dinner, playing games and reminiscing, having fun. The guests included our parents, our sisters and their immediate families.

I walked in to my father’s first words: “haven’t missed many meals lately I see”.

https://rugby843.blog/2018/12/06/tell-me-a-tale-in-exactly-120-words/

Looks real, don’t it?

Nah, nobody could stay like that!

Serious? I knew a guy back in the sixties, and he could balance himself like that for fifteen minutes!

No way! His arm would break!

Well, yeah! That’s why it’s called break dancin’!

https://thehauntedwordsmith.wordpress.com/2018/12/06/daily-writing-challenge-dec-6/

Why is it this time of year people seem more willing to share? Is it the religious holidays that conjure up feelings of guilt or the images we see daily during these few months that make us truly realize the amount of suffering outside our small sheltered lives? The “season of giving”. . .there is no season; it is needed all year long.

Everyday life spins us out of control, going to a job we might be privileged to enjoy, all for the money to enjoy everything life has to offer, we think. We are brought up in this cycle. Work, food, shelter, reward. It enables us to have a family and sometimes prosper. We make promises in January to do better, but the cycle continues. Every year the busyness of surviving in whatever lifestyle we choose increases.

If we have a choice. Many of us do and we are the lucky ones. People striving just to hang on to life itself, have another meal to feed their children or just themselves, don’t. So why is it only these few months we choose to see them, give something, recognize their plight? We are all clinging to this blue ball that keeps trying to throw us off. We ignore what is around us and wall ourselves up in our own worlds. Should I be grateful we open our eyes during the “giving season”?

https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2018/12/06/tale-weaver-200-sharing-december-6th/

1. Day old donuts, diapers, disposable razor blades

2. Here it could be anything, we have huge winds, plastic grocery bags, cats, small children

3. Frogs, stones, trash

4. Eggs, egg shaped vases, ebooks

5. Cats, dogs, pigs

6. Three Dog Night, M83, 311

7. Dinosaur Monument in CO, Mesa Verde in CO, Manitou Cliff Dwellings, CO

8. High winds, out of coffee, paying bills

9. Apollo, Ceres, and of course, Cupid

10. Short and long billed platypus, echidna – what a qualifier😳

11. W, L, A

12. Topaz, Tourmaline, Turquoise

13. Margarita, Manhattan, Mint Julep

14. Decoupage, Painted t-shirts, Baking

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A song that makes you want to dance:

30 Day Song Challenge – Day 1

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