My sister asked everyone today at Thanksgiving what we are thankful for… my reply was simple at the time but I wish to expand upon it… my thankfulness was wrapped around my family but there is so much more to be thankful for.
I’m thankful for not only my family, but the beauty each day brings us. Each sunrise and sunset is unique by our ultimate Creator.
I think the experience of the last few years has taught me that life is short . Each day is a treasured gift.
I’m very blessed to work with my spouse each day, which I never thought I would have the opportunity to do.
Blessings abound in the small things we have in our lives. May you be blessed this holiday season with Thanksgiving in your heart each & every day. Happy Thanksgiving from our house to yours today.
The messages sent to me were powerful, with beautiful scriptures, kind words & your personal stories of experience made my heart melt.
So many people who have battled cancer that I connect with everyday as a business owner reached out. Their stories they shared with me were amazing & a beautiful blessing. Thank you so much for sharing your stories with me.
If you haven’t read the blog post, Waiting, I would love for you to click back and give it a read. We all go through periods of waiting in life. Waiting on test results, waiting for changes in a career path, or just waiting patiently on God to show you a pathway.
All paths in life are not clearly defined… many times we wait for clarification and direction
As I said before, my experience was not unique, but I chose to share it because I felt it would create common ground experience for many ladies who have walked in the path of waiting for test results OR seeking answers to any type of situation/problem.
Writing is a dynamic way to connect with others. As a blogger, that influence extends across our community & even across the globe.
Storytelling goes well back into history. In the days before novels & books, stories were shared orally, musically or artistically and passed down through the generations. Stories help us to keep our past history alive, & keep us linked together.
Philadelphia, full of historical stories
I had a professor in college who was a gifted storyteller. US History was revealed to me as a story of events & the people behind it.
As an educator, the most powerful thing you can do is to connect your content to the student. Once the student gets the practical connections, the path learning is much easier.
Often as a hardware store owner, we are privy to a portion of a person’s story. The struggle of a DIY, pool ownership (the good, bad, & the ugly 😂) and even the success of a beautiful garden.
All are welcome
The longer Richard & I have been in downtown North Wilkesboro, the more folks we have had the opportunity to meet & get to know a small portion of their story.
Many stories are told around this wood stove
This week we met a gentleman who came by for a few keys, & he stayed to visit for a while. His story began to unravel. He told humorous stories which all made us laugh. He also revealed that his wife died this summer, she had a serious form of blood cancer.
My heart hurt for him. It was obvious he missed her tremendously. Once he told us his story, we understood more about him, his needs and empathized with his current situation.
So how do we share our unique life experiences in 2021??? We are all not bloggers, writers, gifted musicians, artists, or storytellers.
Do you look at Instagram stories???? OR Facebook stories, Snapchat, or even Tik Tok??
In the world of social media, we now have these little bits of video & images on our profile page called stories. The intent of those images is to give the viewer a quick glimpse of what is going on the “inside”of the life of that specific social media page.
After 24 hours those stories disappear and you must continue to add more of your own images in order to keep your story going.
Stories give us a way to stay connected to friends and family. A way to share triumphs, celebrations, fun times, sweet moments & even sad events in our lives. All are a significant part of living our lives.
Many of us are not public speakers who go across the country sharing their stories with others creating change. You may not be gifted storyteller OR even post out Facebook/IG stories everyday.
Your personal story & experiences create change just by sharing!!! Do you journal everyday? Share your family stories with younger generations???
We all share our life experiences with others… how are you sharing your story???
Our life stories cause us to adjust, change, & can create empathy for others who have faced similar experiences.
What I have learned as a blogger is that you should not be afraid to share your story. Your personal story creates bridges to others… connectedness. If you don’t tell your own story now, someone else will later…
Our personal story is why we are here. Your experiences could become a survival guide for someone else who is struggling with the same thing.
My wish for you… find a creative outlet for your unique personal story.
I spent most of my day Tuesday, waiting… the technician would complete one test and then I would go sit and wait.
Waiting in situations like I described above can create anxiety & worry. No one I encountered seemed to be in that category. We were all waiting…
I began to wonder if these ladies were ok. Many were waiting for extra testing like me.
My prayers are with each one & I have no idea how each appointment turned out for each lady.
My appointment was at the Breast Clinic in Winston Salem.
Tuesday’s appointment brought a bit of peace & depth of knowledge of my current health situation.
I’m ok y’all. And this blog post is NOT intended to be about empathy for me. My journey over the last few months has created an tremendous amount of empathy for those who have walked the path of cancer treatment.
My mammogram in June found a series of small cysts. All of my test results from Tuesday revealed no significant changes. I’ll return back in 6 months for another round of testing.
But as I sat there with all these other women on Tuesday, in silence, I began to ponder about the whole scenario of waiting.
When we wait, we are staying “in one place”, or delaying action until something else happens…
We all have periods of waiting in life… when we wait, our trust & patience can deepen in God.
Back in June when I was anxious about my first set of results, my mom said to me, “if anything changes, we will deal with it together “. That definitely struck a cord with me. I would not be in this unknown journey alone. I would have family & friends to help and support me. Richard, and my sister have been constant pillars of support as well as my parents. My doctor navigated all of the questions, concerns & made connections with key providers for appointments. I have also made a few dietary changes & adjustments.
The anxiety began to wash away… finding strength in my waiting time.
Waiting serves a purpose in our lives, trust the process & be patient.
I also began to think about all the women who came before me, who found cancer as the end result of testing. Facing a tremendous health hurdle that would change the trajectory of their lives.
I would bet that most of us can name family or friends that have experienced this type of cancer.
Pink… the color of Breast Cancer Awareness
A friend of mine who has Lobular breast cancer, just finished her last round of chemotherapy. She has been a warrior throughout the whole process. I admire her determination and send her prayers each day for strength & courage.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. If you have delayed your mammogram for any reason, don’t delay it any longer. OR if you have noticed any changes, make an appointment to see your doctor NOW. Lobular breast cancer is not always detected as easily through a mammogram. The subtle changes will be your best indicator. Your health is too important to ignore signals from your body.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Women often wear many “hats” as professionals, mothers, caregivers, chef, & chief errand runner… need I say more? Often we don’t take time to care for our personal needs, and your health is crucial.
Mom’s often are busy… all day long!!! The tasks never seem to end.
My closing thoughts to y’all today…
1. Remember in times of waiting, our heart is strengthened.
2. Take care of & support the women in your lives.
3.Ladies, go get your annual mammograms and continue to do self examinations.
4. You will find me wearing pink each Saturday in October to serve as a reminder to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I’ll be wearing my pink Wilkes County Hardware logo gear & I hope to see y’all shopping local with us on Saturdays in October.
This little stem broke off a few days ago from a grocery store bouquet of flowers . I hated to see it go in the trash can. It seems to be thriving in a tiny crystal bowl with a bit of water. I was amazed to see it still looking so great today.
To all mom’s out there following my blog, let me be one of the first to wish you a blessed Mother’s Day.
May you always be resilient like this flower… blooming beautifully in midst of calm or chaos. As storms arise in your journey, may you be grateful for the rain to help the blooming flowers grow, and find sunshine to light your path.
Blue skies and sunshine outside our back door at Wilkes County Hardware
I was walking around the hardware store yesterday checking the shelves for products that needed replenishment. I came upon a roll of clothesline. My mind began to instantly wander from the task at hand. My productivity waned… I was lost in my thoughts.
We sell clothesline at Wilkes County Hardware, even the old fashioned cotton type & clothespins
The memories came flooding back of my mom’s clothesline when I was growing up. We spent the Saturdays putting the sheets, & towels onto the clothesline. It was a time saver for mom, not having to run the dryer all day after working all week.
My sister and I both had “jobs” while we were assisting hanging clothes on the clothesline. We both were too young to reach the clothesline for ourselves. We had it down to a well-oiled system. One of us carried the old metal dishpan outside into the fresh, clean air towards the line. Of course the clothespins were in hand too. Once we were at the line, I handed mom each piece of laundry from the dishpan, while my younger sister, delved out the clothespins. Mom hung the laundry in sync with the wind. The whole process didn’t take long.
Mom used an old metal dishpan like this one, wet laundry was too heavy in the laundry basket… of course I asked her why she used this when I was little…
Now, memories are often nostalgic… so I must say that my mom’s memories of these Saturdays at the clothesline are probably different from ours. She probably remembers the trips out to the clothesline where we both complained about the weather being too hot, or bees flying too closely, or even those hateful chestnut burrs that were close by waiting to prey on our innocence toes/feet in the late summer/early fall months. I know complaints were definitely lodged… but we always finished our task, hanging the laundry out to dry.
Oh… those chestnut burrs were rough on the feet!!!
I’m glad my sister & I were able to experience so many wonderful things during our childhood that are now seemingly falling away into the past.
Everyone used to have a clothesline… now I would bet that if you still have a clothesline in 2021, you are a rare lucky person.
Back to nostalgia, as we both grew older, mom sent us out to the clothesline to hang or even harvest the freshly dried clothes. I took them down while my sister held the fresh loot.
I can still smell the scent of the sheets & towels dried outdoors. Nothing was better than those air dried sheets on your bed at night.
However, I do recall, that towels and washcloths from the line were not a favorite of mine. They were a little too rough for my liking. We used the line mostly for sheets anyways.
My dad eventually took the old, pesky chestnut trees down and made way for some new backyard landscaping as I got older. The clothesline was used less frequently.
But that clothesline was a constant in my backyard during my childhood. Things change as do people. I will always cherish those good memories of times spent together at the clothesline, soaking up the fresh outdoor air & sunshine.
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The Hardware Life - A wife's journey into the hardware business 