One more week till Christmas. Where on earth did 2016 go??? My granddaughter had a swim meet yesterday and afterwards I went to the mall. I was hard pressed to find a parking spot. First off, we got about 10″ of snow overnight and the temperature was hovering at 0 when I left for the swim meet. It didn’t warm up out of single digits all day yesterday! I walked around the mall for hours, mostly people watching and getting some much needed exercise. My phone came alive with texts from friends all over the country. It was fun to catch up with so many people.
All this snow reminded me of the first snowstorm after Mr. Virgo died. I had worked a sixteen hour day. When I left the office it started snowing and by the time I got home there was eighteen inches of snow in my driveway. I had a snow shovel with only one name on it…mine! I got out in the cold and the wind froze me through. I shoveled and shoveled and shoveled some more. And the more I shoveled, the angrier I got. I shoveled enough to get my car in the garage and went inside. As I walked through the bedroom, I noticed the picture of Mr. Virgo and his dad on the highboy and I stopped to give him a piece of my mind. After all…he had a lot of nerve up and dying on me and leaving me with all that mess to take care of on my own. I was not a happy camper and had some apologizing to do to God for all the swearing that went on.
Things are different now. First, I sold my house so I don’t have to shovel. Second, it doesn’t snow much in West Virginia. And third, I don’t shovel…period. I cant remember the last time I got angry at Mr. Virgo for dying. He would have loved my daughter’s graduation on Friday. He would have loved this snow. He loved winter. I know I miss him or I wouldn’t have cried so readily…so hard at the cemetery last week. It’s just different now. It’s my “new normal”. And while it isn’t the normal I predicted…or wanted…it is my normal now.
I can tell you one thing…I did not feel like slapping all the happy people at the mall yesterday. There was a time not all that long ago when that would have seemed perfectly logical. Progress is being made. Healing is being done. For that, I am grateful! ❤️
“Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.”
Jeremiah 17:14 NIV