My family has loved me well to celebrate my 75th birthday week! Six full days of fun and rhyming clues.

Today ended the celebrations with brunch at Larisa’s and Phillip’s house. Except for Sophie, all my children and grandchildren were there plus my wonderful nephew Josh and his gorgeous family.

Brunch started off with a video collage put together by Sophie!

Yes, I cried watching it. So tender.

Then fabulous food – lots of talking and laughing and love. I got a photo of me with each of my family members. Plus Sophie and Jesse called and FaceTimed with us all.

My mother died three and a half years ago. I miss her, but she was 98 and had had a severe stroke. When I’d visit those last few years before her death, she’d remark, “I don’t know why I keep on living!”

Then last week, my mother’s house finally sold. My brother, Terrell, was the executor of Mother ‘s estate, and he handled everything so well. Mother would be so proud of him and all of us for how fairly and friendly we handled distributing all her belongings. She grew up during the Great Depression when you didn’t throw away anything because it might come in handy someday. So, her house was packed, making it an enormous job for all of us – but especially Terrell and Sheila, to go through everything. But it was done and finally the house was emptied, repairs done, and it sold.

Terrell immediately sent each sibling their portion of the disbursement from mother ‘s estate.

I received my check today. After I signed for it and left the post office, I sat in my car and opened the envelope. On the note line, Terrell had written “disbursement from Ruth Shaw estate.”

Oh my! It’s been 3 1/2 years. I thought I had adjusted to it, but seeing those words were startling and the fact that my mother is gone hit me all over again. I had to take awhile to get myself back together before I could drive home.

Is excessive independence a bad thing? For some reason, this morning I’ve been thinking of my experience going to an art workshop in Spain in September 2024.

The airline lost my suitcase. In that suitcase were all my art supplies – my easel, panels, paints, paint brushes, and, of course, all my clothes. So I was at an art workshop without any art supplies. I could buy some replacement clothes. However, art supplies for oil painting are only available at specialty stores which were not any where near the little Spanish village where the art workshop was held.

So, what did I do? What COULD I do? I was able to find some pencils, and a sketchbook at a little tourist shop, and I decided I’d take photos and do sketches instead of painting.

Now the workshop instructor and all the workshop participants were so kind and eager to help me out. They offered to share their art supplies and equipment with me until my luggage arrived. However, not wanting to inconvenience anyone, I declined their offers. We would go to unbelievably scenic and historical places, and I would take out my phone and sketch pad, take photos, and sketch. Very unsatisfying for me since I’m a very rough sketcher.

One day I decided to accept help, and I borrowed a panel, put paint on a piece of plastic, and a friend loaned me a little cup to hold Gamsol. I painted a small 5×7 painting of sailboats in a harbor, and I loved it! Not great art – but satisfying art. That’s what I could have done every day – but I didn’t. It has taken me over a year to realize that I could’ve handled the situation better. At the time, I didn’t even consider handling it differently than I did. My suitcase wasn’t delivered until the last day of the workshop. So I did part of one other painting when Ron and I were in France on our own after the workshop. But that was all for a week long art workshop in Spain.