Hello November...

I can’t believe you have arrived again so soon…

This time last year we were already juggling the needs of 2 generations and, it felt to me at least, that we were constantly treading water and making no progress.

Then began an intense period of sadness where my dad was admitted to hospital, followed by a brief period in a nursing home before returning to hospital to begin his final journey in this life. Even though he held out until mid January of this year, we all knew that his time to go was approaching. That we needed to spend the time we had left telling him how much we loved him and that we would look after mum.

At the same time, some friends of ours were saying goodbye to their daughter. At the end of this post, that I wrote last year, there is a tribute to the wonderful, brave Rachel.

The day of her funeral was the same day my dad returned to the hospital…

This weekend we lit a fire in our fire pit. For various reasons; to celebrate All Souls and bonfire night (although we had no fireworks), but also to celebrate the fact that Cerys had a good day at her craft fair. We wanted to do something different and fun. We made s’mores - much to Cerys’ delight and laughed together. Spending time together when sometimes it can feel like we barely spend any quality time with each other.

And I spent silent moments thinking of all the wonderful souls who have left their mark on our lives. Watching a beacon of light in the darkness.

November is also my birthday month, and I spent some time offering gratitude that I am still here, and as well as I am. It’s no small thing and I am forever thankful that I get to be here, with these precious people…

Caring can often feel heavy so it’s good to find some joy - and there is lots of joy and pride to be found - wherever you can.