The Three Wise Women
I said goodbye today to a very special woman. She made up a triumverate we called “the Three Wise Women.” These three women shaped who I am today and will continue to influence me in the future, even after they are gone.
My earliest memory of Sr. Justina is her dressed in a full clown costume. This is probably not my actual first memory (since she babysat me when I was a newborn), but I grew up with photos of her in clown costumes so it’s the image that always pops into my head. And it’s an apt image, because no one could embody a better image of childlike joy than Sr. Justina. To know her was to experience pure joy & unconditional love. At her funeral today, her gift for hospitality was mentioned & it was spot on! Even in her later years in a tiny simple apartment, Sr. Justina always invited people to visit & she made sure to have a cup of coffee & “something for the sweet tooth.”
Some people start out joyful but lose their sunshine when faced with adversity — that was NOT Sr. Justina. Twenty years of cancer & grueling pain never took the twinkle from her eyes or the mischievous Cajun humor. I didn’t get to spend much time with her as I became an adult, but the rare moments I had with her were enough to teach me the grace of suffering. And the influence she had on my mom & godmother somehow transferred to me even when she wasn’t part of my daily life. The Three Wise Women showed me what friendship should look like & that aging gracefully isn’t about anti-wrinkle cream — it’s about becoming the woman God designed us to be.
To my Mom & Nanny who said goodbye to their best friend today, I love you & I hope for many more years of your wisdom.
Snow Day!
“I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash. Tore open the curtains and threw up the sash. The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow, Gave a lustre of midday to objects below…”
Texas & Louisiana woke up to a miracle this morning…SNOW!!!! Snow is rare in Southwest Louisiana and perfect white fluffy snow is a once-in-a-lifetime treat here! So of course I threw on my boots & coat, grabbed my phone, & walked the neighborhood with pure bliss written all over my face. Didn’t even brush my teeth or tidy my hair, which is funny because I met more of my neighbors this morning than I have in the past 7 years we’ve lived here. But they looked just as rumpled & happy as I did. Here are some photos to enjoy. Follow me on Instagram to see more or to share your own snow images! But most importantly, get outside & enjoy this magic before it melts away.
What I Learned on a Family Trip
We kidnapped my parents for Thanksgiving. We packed ’em up in our car, took my youngest sister & her husband along with us, & headed up to Hot Springs Arkansas. We rented a house on the Ouachita River, brought food with us, & left all itineraries/plans at home. We were winging this one & adapting day-by-day.
Traveling with family is totally out of character for Eric & I. We’ve perfected how to travel with each other & have become a fine-tuned travel machine. When you throw someone else into the mix, we don’t know what to do with them: What do they like to eat? Do they like waking up early or sleeping in? Do they really want to hike all day or are they just saying that for our benefit? Will they think I’m anti-social if I read a book for a few hours?
But we also know that memories are made during family trips & so we forced ourselves out of our comfort zone for this holiday. I won’t lie, there were moments when I thought “why did we do this?” but they were quickly followed by sweet moments or laugh-so-hard-I-snorted moments. And like all good trips, I learned some new things. For example, I learned (or was reminded) that…
My father is a sugar addict…
And apparently so am I…
My sister enjoys being still in nature just like I do…
My mother will never lose her adventurous spirit, even if her body begins to slow her down…
My family can easily revert to childhood…
We might have to sacrifice our long hikes, but being on the trail with family has its perks…
There really ARE fairies & they live at Garvan Woodland Gardens…
Having my mom around is good for me — otherwise, I would have bypassed the fascinating Hot Springs National Park Visitor’s Center which is in a restored bath house…
I might also have missed the once elegant Arlington Hotel, with its beautiful murals, haunted looking stairs & mobster past.
If you visit Hot Springs, eat at Rod’s Pizza Cellar. It’s a local hangout that’s been around since 1975 & their thick crust is FABULOUS! There was live music when we were there, and my parents were in heaven listening to tunes from their college days.
Garvan Woodland Gardens is beautiful in daylight but PURE MAGIC in the evening (especially during Christmas)!
Don’t go hiking in Arkansas during prime hunting season. Even if the trail brochures say nothing of hunting, assume that it’s allowed everywhere in “the Natural State.” And if you do, don’t be stupid [name will remain anonymous] & place a branch on your head so you look like a deer…
I had my heart set on hiking the Little Blakely trails, but I failed to check if hunting was allowed in that area. Boy was it! I’ve never seen so much orange & camo in my life! I managed one photo at the beginning of a trail before we had to skedaddle.
No matter how often I tell myself “I don’t travel well with others,” trips like these remind me that travel isn’t just about new places & new people, it’s also about new experiences with the people closest to me.
