Tuesday, November 14, 2023

A Familiar Question for me These Last Few Years "Where has all the Time gone"

Well, this is what happens when you think you pushed the publish button, and didn't. I have been busy with my FamilySearch Mission working on the War of 1812 files, and  helping my 5 children and the 34 grandchildren. Yes, I procrastinated doing what I tell others to do....Write their family stories.

The last blog post I made was 3 years ago! So much has happened since 2019 and I feel almost overwhelmed when I contemplate what I have seen and done. This is an opinion piece, my thoughts, add yours in the comment section if you want. 

My youngest son would say "my world has gone to Hell in a handbasket" ( ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜‚well not in those words because he is not from that generation, but you get the gist of the matter) . 

Last year when the medical world lost its soul, I lost my oldest daughter, Aine. I lament because there are so many things she still had to do, but she was so overwhelmed with life, the disease COVID was able to take her from us. 


What has brought me here was a thought about my sweetheart Aine and time. She tried to control her "time" by making beautiful planners. Mother of 8 children, an absentee husband ( he worked for 20 days at a time miles and hours away), she wanted to make sure all was taken care of. Her youngest had to be at therapy 2 days a week 40 minutes away. There was homeschooling to be done, and she was driven to make sure they were taught well.  She was a writer and that creativity permeated her life.  Those planners were very important to her, and because she loved beautiful things, she put time and thought in to how they were organized, what they looked like and how functional they were. I think we all have a need to have control over ourselves and circumstances, but some more that others. 

This is an example of her life as she wrote on Facebook... "Russell just left for 20 days and my living room looks like Grandpa Joe's after his stroke (chapter 2 of my book) - it's filled with towers of boxes taped shut labelled with black magic marker written in bold letters. Like my protagonist, I haven't the heart to go through them. Funny how fiction can reflect a warped reality. I need to go write something fun. ๐Ÿ˜›"

"For Love" was the only book she publicly published and she used her pseudonym TexasBlu

I have an email file of chapters for a book I so wanted her to finish. Time was not on our side.

This is what she said about her family.  "I am grateful to be the mom of 8 great kids. I love their personalities, their wit, their kindness, their talents, their uniqueness, their charity for others... and each other." So there you have it "Aine's Family" she was grateful for you and she loved each of you.