Aging and Being Okay With It

Today Clare and I went into the City to have lunch and close out 2017 with Clare's three remaining siblings. Clare, at 70 years old, is the youngest of the eleven children born to and raised by Frank and Esther Allred. The three other siblings at the table were James Milton at 85, number seven, Anita Gwen at 80, number eight, and Burton at 73, number ten. Myself, 68, and Burton's wife, Vee, 74, are the only two spouses alive. Why I'm bringing this up is that it struck me that not only are we aging but of the six people gathered together today, to a person, we are okay with it. Oh, sure, each of us has his or her aches and pains, and grievances about how things just aren't like they used to be . . . but all six of us wear the laugh lines of having led happy, blessed lives. Another thing that struck me was the genuine and deep love that each has for each other, for our children, our children's children, our families and our friends. I am sure that many people have these same traits but I am reminded that, even though we don't get together very often anymore, there is always a glow left when we do. It is just good to know that with aging there is the comfort of being loved.

On that note, here are two older people grinning into the IPhone camera. Happy New Year!

Hazel and Clare - December 25, 2017

After a full couple weeks prior to Christmas Day, it was lovely to spend a restful and fun weekend with each other and some of the children. The week after Thanksgiving and visiting with Dad in California both of us had a head cold that lingered until just before we left for Las Vegas on the 11th. I used my illness as an excuse to not do any crafting (Christmas card-making in particular) and very little Christmas decorating. And then we were away from home from the 11th through the 18th, and then, POOF!, it was Christmas Eve and the start of the last week of the year. I had gotten gifts posted to my sisters and three of our out-of-town grandchildren and managed to wrap gifts for our children and grandchildren here in town. The only card I made was a special one for friend Judy (our daughter-in-law Jennifer's mother). She is fond of giraffes and I just couldn't resist making a funny card for her:

Dashing through the snow . . . 

Giraffing all the way! Hahaha!

The giraffe is a cut pattern from the Silhouette Design Store,  #109957. 

This is short but I wanted to say "HI" and send out wishes for a worry-free and happy new year. I don't generally make resolutions but after opening my fortune cookie at the end of our lunch today, I thought it was funny that the one thing I want to do this new year, DECLUTTER, would be spelled out as an adventure . . . "You will discover an unexpected treasure." Hoping!