(Wrote this last weekend... )
I have started gardening as a form of personal therapy. It's working out well and hasn't cost a fortune... yet...
But I have noticed that memories come back to me while I'm gardening. Still to decipher if that's a good thing or not. It might be.
Two days ago on Thursday July 19th 2018, I was at work, planning ahead and checking the calendar. I spotted the date and thought "why is this date ringing a bell?" I couldn't figure it out at all and I never thought to ask anyone.
Had a lovely busy day yesterday at a family wedding. Beautiful day, Friday July 20th... still couldn't figure out about the day before.
Today, Saturday July 21st, I'm digging a border in my back garden. Hopes and dreams are swimming around in my head... and it dawns on me. July the 19th, Thursday this year in 2018, was Wednesday last year in 2017... the day we followed my Mum's coffin in the hearse, Garfield too, down the dual carriageway, through the Jack Lynch tunnel and towards the crematorium. Garfield was the cuddly toy we didn't need anymore. Mum got a kick out of its goofy face and big eyes, Garfield kept Mum company in her hospice room for her final weeks and was there when we went to say goodbye, the last time. The memory of Garfield is one that lightens the mood, puts a smile on my face but also gives me that feeling of finality. In order to move on and mourn the loss of Mum, I'm glad we let Garfield go with her on her final journey.
In a way, I'm grateful the date didn't stick. It may not hold much significance in the future either. And yet, the day passed by quietly - another first for my family and I.
The welcome distraction this week - my cousin's wedding - is significant, however. Much better to focus on the positive of July 20th 2018. A happier occasion where our family once again reunited and bonded. A day I hope to remember more often in the years to come and may well do so if I keep up my gardening therapy 💞
