group hug

Mom was in therapy when I dropped by after work so I didn't stay long.  Gotta do those exercises!  As I was crossing the lot to my ( not so ) trusty Camry a deep voice hollered at me from afar and it was none other than Amy R and Yaya visiting AFTER visiting Doris.  We stood there and chatted in the cold  forever, finishing each others' sentences regarding who's related to who and where their mama'n'them live.  Yaya laughed at the thought of us barflies of  fifteen years ago thinking we'd be spending New Year's eve at the nursing home.  Life happens.  

Meanwhile some random debt collector called wanting me to verify my social so that we could discuss an important business matter.  When I refused to do that without knowing who the company was representing, he said he would "send a new bill."  Bite me people.  It's a debt collection system for healthcare provider companies.  The guy had this whiny high pitched voice and was sort of taken aback by my failure to be intimidated.  If dude only knew a what  year I've had......

I ordered some coloring books from an artist who is a family friend and can't wait to get the stuff to make art happen and feel the release.  A new look for the house will give me an opportunity to showcase many of the pieces I have which are eclectic and interesting.  I don't own an entire collection of ANYTHING except Noritake china and that's about to go on the bidding table down at Mom's emporium of treasures.  The beauty of complimenting rather than matching is something it took me years to grasp.  

So my one serious collection was little boxes.  Yeah...you know like Weeds only tiny little artisan boxes of glass and wood and fiber.  The kind of thing where you can hide secret treasures of beads or notes and run across them decades later.  My brother found a handwritten epistle in true Janice fashion giving medical power of attorney for Tommy to somebody while they were gone.    The doctors were all listed too.  I'm telling you if I has 1/2 as organized as this woman, I'd be a successful person.  I'm just a happy slob I reckon.  

I learned to get out of the box around the age of 32 when emotional issues reared their heads and I ended up weeping in therapy for two years.  It was during that time of kick ass tough love that Beverly taught me how to be a strong yet spiritual woman.  I sensed that she had issues herself which kind of hooked into mine, but it worked.  From there I moved to "here's the thing" Rod for the family mediation thing and subsequent episodes of crisis.  We did phone sessions while I drank a beer and it was totally cool.  As an EAP provider for my company he had counseled many who were feeling the effects of healthcare burnout.  

Today's words of wisdom from Mama Stafford are : Don't drive into the water!