uneXpected

April A-Z Challenge: X is for uneXpected



Today I attended a meeting at eXcelsior United Methodist Church. It was a great meeting: inspirational and fun! On my way home I stopped at General Store of Minnetonka. It was an uneXpected addition to my day, as I didn't know it was right on the highway along my route. I've heard of the store, but never been to it before.

General Store is kind of a folksy, crafty, artsy store and cafe. It's one of those fun places with cool, clever, cute, and funny items that make you want to buy them, even though you don't NEED one single item from that store, and if you do fall prey to purchasing, you'll spend too much. Well, I fell prey. What the heck. I've never been there before and may never be there again. (It's kind of far from home for just a simple shopping trip.)

I also eXperienced some uneXpected sadness while in this store. I'm still grieving over my son's troubles [marriage problems], and it hits me uneXpectedly, when I think I'm doing OK. Like today... I kept seeing things that I would buy for my son and DIL if they were still a happily married couple. Like little frames or other doo dads with "Love" on them, or napkins with cute sayings about love and marriage.

We don't know the ultimate outcome of their current problems, so I am not spending any money on things for a couple that may not be a couple much longer. It made me sad. A mom feels joy when a grown child has someone to love and has made the commitment to be together... and it's fun to support that with little gifts and such. My fun has been diminished, and I was uneXpectedly reminded of the sadness.

I've been doing OK overall, but it still hits me out of the blue. I guess that's the nature of grief.

I'm thankful for:
1) sleeping in and feeling rested
2) warm quilts on rainy nights
3) inspirational women
4) a surprise opportunity to visit General Store
5) making connections
6) gradually recovering from grief.. most of the time I do feel much better these days. It's nice to feel mostly normal.