Wednesday, March 20, 2019 Mushrooms, Graves and Smiles

The backside of a mushroom
@Joppa Flats .

Front of the mushroom
@Joppa Flats.

.

I bought a scarf in  a DC or Md hospital gift shop when my father was ending his life. He had cancer. He did a round of Chemo Treatments, go home, get phenomia go back to the hospital, go home, get Chemo again and start off... the chain of events that he continued to occupy his precious time before he passed away.

It was on one my trips to visit him in the hospital, that some one in my family mentioned that this hospital had a great gift shop and I should take a break and go down and look at the shop.

I was mentally and physically exhausted at that time.

I think we were on the tenth floor and I took the elevator ride down with many sad people. 

I walked into a museum quality shop.  Flowers, bags, scarfs, funny cards, and necessities that tired people could use. 

The scarfs were calling me out. I found a deep purple and blue scarf, it was silky, dark, and ultra soft. 

Present day, I had not worn my scarf in a long time, so I had many  errands  to use before going to my volunteer job at MA Audubon Joppa Flats. It has been awhile since I dedicated myself to spending hours running from the insurance company, having my glasses tightened , go to a bookstore and park down around from the library. Parking in the winter, even during a week day is hard to come by. So, I did a whole lot of walking around town. I ended my day at Joppa Flats where I manned the front desk; welcoming people, answering questions, watching birds through a very nice scope, and lastly pointing to the ladies room. I spent four hours, then, I turned off three computers, took the flag down from the flagpole,  said my good byes and drove home.

It was at home, that I realized that I no longer had my scarf. I was not sad, and in a way I was happy that the scarf of much sadness was lost. I did not run around town looking for it, nor did I call all the places that I had been in. I thought about it and smiled. Both my loving parents had been gone a long time. It was time to  take a deep breath in and out -slowly, very slowly. I knew that the sad part of losing a loved one was over. Now it was time for the happy memories. 

So, tonight I give gratitude to the man, women, or child who might have found the scarf and it is helping them keep warm, or hand on to love.