Have A Little Faith in We

Hope ya’ll are enjoying an awesome week and experiencing some of the beautiful weather we have here in the Northern VA area! 80s and sunshine…. a taste of summer and I can’t get enough! Despite all the rays I am trying to soak up…. there is blogging to be done, so kicking off this week with a little life lately.

We left off our last Life Lately post with a party to shower my sweet friend Randi, followed by a Saturday night puppy party that evening… Well that weekend continued to be full to the brim with a Sunday in Maryland. We live in Northern Virginia and that is where I spent the majority of my childhood, but my parents are both from over the river on the Maryland side. So when we plan a reason to head to their old stomping ground the day can be pretty full with places to go and people to see.

First stop was a quick diner breakfast (gotta reward that early Sunday alarm clock answer) and then coffee with my Dad’s mom in her nursing home. A fun little fact- both of my grandmother’s are named Jackie and I like to think I am a little mixture of both.

My dad’s mom has always been a very girly girl with lots of bangles and a festive outfit for every occasion. Even today, being wheelchair bound and a little confused, she still has those arms FULL of bracelets! Its become a signature of sorts – that I too tend to follow!

After that visit we headed over to my mom’s childhood home. This is the house where the Flaherty family has spent years of holidays, summer nights, winter days – walking around, it truly feels as if the walls can talk. Every where I turn is a story, a moment, a souvenir from the journey of our family life. But it is the end of an era and we each are gathering the pieces of the story that will come and live with us. I plan to do a very special post about the items that have come home with me… but in the meantime I just want to say how honored I feel to be a part of the sun setting on our family home.

Plus it was crazy to see how much I never even noticed about the house once the belongings where emptied out. Life is not about our stuff – as they say “you don’t see a hearse with a luggage rack” – but on the other hand, I love to explore the simple signs of life. The silverware that my grandparents used to feed their family…. the beds where many generations laid their heads at night.. the books they read… the clothes they wore… the memories they were making everyday in all sorts of little ways that would result in the building of future families. This was the life my grandparents built for all of us…. kids… in-laws……grandkids…. friends that became family… even when they didn’t know us: just faith, hope and love that led to our life.

Speaking of family ….. another important moment from life lately is my mom’s grocery run for us. In my current season of life, some how regular stuff just is hard to get to. I feel ridiculous saying it and constantly say to myself “if you would just plan better you can do it all” . But the truth is you can’t do it all and sometimes you have to just ask for help. And hopefully help comes in the form of tasty treats. Thank you, Mom!!

In March we celebrated two birthdays: both Quinlan and I!  We don’t know Quinlan’s exact birthday or age so we celebrate on the day he came home with us and as of March 11 this year – that was 4 years of him as ours and an estimated 8th birthday. This little puppy is a handful – but as you all know he is the light of our life. He makes us laugh…. keeps us guessing… and gives a preview of what parenting together may look like some day (YIKES – we may be in trouble)… but for all the frustrations, he is our fur baby who we both love madly.

My birthday this year was spent enjoying time with friends and family. Sadly Danny was pretty down and out for all the celebrations – but I can count on my family to keep me festive… my Libby to keep me smiling…. and all my loved ones with their incredibly kind gifts, heartfelt messages, and wishes to give me hope for a bright future.

Following dinner Bridget took me to see “Hidden Figures” at the theatre – what an awesome message about determination and possibility…. now that is a birthday movie!

Red Door Spa day, with my first ever facial, followed by tacos and margaritas with this lady was superb.

And finally to really sweeten the deal my birthday celebrations ended with my brother’s gift – a snow “survival” kit and a very unexpected snow day in March!

This past month we also had the privilege of attending a good family friend’s Dad’s funeral. Held at one of the most beautiful places I know for connecting with our Catholicism – Mount Saint Mary’s in Emmistburg, MD – it was an incredibly moving day. Life is full of hardships, trials, joyful moments, treasurers… and we all hope for a chance to live it to the fullest – showing those we love how important they are to us, making memories, exploring the gifts of our Lord. But the truth is we don’t know what lies ahead for any of us.

For me – not only did this day provide a chance to step out of the caregiver role and participate in life, but it also helped to clear the cobb webs in my head, my heart, and my soul. We all look at those people who are joyful, dedicated to living, trying different things, not afraid to fail or succeed, and we wonder how we are using our turn. During that funeral, I reflected on the gift that is life and the importance of doing your best to make it what you feel your put on this earth to do every single day. There are big and small ways we can always be striving to be who God created us to be – let us not miss those moments.

Finally we will wrap up today’s life lately with my a lunch visitor I received a few weeks back – Lola. Her mom is looking at helping with a special blog project, but Little Lo? She just came for the food.

Thank you so much for reading and remember to make it a great day!

Jackie