"Edged, Mulched, Beds"
Mother's Day weekend 2003 my son (who was three years old at the time) and I ended up spending the weekend at my mom's house. My husband and 2nd grade daughter were out of town for a chess tournament.
My mom and dad had bought an old victorian home and had been working to restore it for a number of years. The focus thus far had been on the homes interior, so nothing had really been done in the yard except mowing the grass. We decided that we would rent a tiller and create edged, mulched beds around her house.
Keep in mind that May in Texas is getting pretty darn hot. Also, remember that 2 weeks later my Mom would be diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. She certainly already had the cancer and wasn't feeling stellar...but we hadn't gotten the bad news yet.
It was hard, hot work. We rented a not big enough tiller (because it was all that was left). We set a timer so we would remember to drink water because we would get lightheaded. It was an all day job. In fact, it was a two day job.
Several times I would find Momma trimming shrubs. "Momma! Our goal this weekend is edged, mulched beds." I knew that if we didn't focus on getting that done, we would come to the end of the weekend and all we would have in the yard was a mess.
I redirected her several times.... "Edged, mulched beds Momma!" Fortunately for me she was good natured about being redirected by her daughter.
By Sunday afternoon we indeed had edged, mulched beds. We even put some flowers into some clay pots and placed them around in attractive places. What a feeling of accomplishment that was!
Besides the feeling of accomplishment, think of the rest of the story.
Two weeks later we would learn that Momma had terminal cancer. I will always remember that weekend working with my Mom. It was really the last thing we did together completely untouched by Cancer. Many times over the next year Mom would sit out on her wraparound porch and look at those flowers and enjoy her yard. If we hadn't stayed focused and accomplished our goal that weekend, Momma might likely have been looking out onto an unfinished mess.
So, I ask you... What are your edged, mulched beds today? What one thing could you accomplish today or this week that would make a positive impact on your life? How could you stay more focused and not start trimming the hedges?
More Soon.
My mom and dad had bought an old victorian home and had been working to restore it for a number of years. The focus thus far had been on the homes interior, so nothing had really been done in the yard except mowing the grass. We decided that we would rent a tiller and create edged, mulched beds around her house.
Keep in mind that May in Texas is getting pretty darn hot. Also, remember that 2 weeks later my Mom would be diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. She certainly already had the cancer and wasn't feeling stellar...but we hadn't gotten the bad news yet.
It was hard, hot work. We rented a not big enough tiller (because it was all that was left). We set a timer so we would remember to drink water because we would get lightheaded. It was an all day job. In fact, it was a two day job.
Several times I would find Momma trimming shrubs. "Momma! Our goal this weekend is edged, mulched beds." I knew that if we didn't focus on getting that done, we would come to the end of the weekend and all we would have in the yard was a mess.
I redirected her several times.... "Edged, mulched beds Momma!" Fortunately for me she was good natured about being redirected by her daughter.
By Sunday afternoon we indeed had edged, mulched beds. We even put some flowers into some clay pots and placed them around in attractive places. What a feeling of accomplishment that was!
Besides the feeling of accomplishment, think of the rest of the story.
Two weeks later we would learn that Momma had terminal cancer. I will always remember that weekend working with my Mom. It was really the last thing we did together completely untouched by Cancer. Many times over the next year Mom would sit out on her wraparound porch and look at those flowers and enjoy her yard. If we hadn't stayed focused and accomplished our goal that weekend, Momma might likely have been looking out onto an unfinished mess.
So, I ask you... What are your edged, mulched beds today? What one thing could you accomplish today or this week that would make a positive impact on your life? How could you stay more focused and not start trimming the hedges?
More Soon.
posted by Catherine Banks at 4:23 PM
1 Comments:
That is beautiful, Cathi. I had better quit trimming hedges at this computer and see what I can accomplish today. Thanks for the nudge. You are pretty special.
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