Loving Lately ❤

Loving Living Lately: The Circle of Life

I met Barbara years ago. It didn’t take long to figure out that she was one of my favorite people. She never had any children, and at that time I hadn’t either. Something else we had in common? Scrabble. And so it started. Every week we would meet at one of our houses for a game of Scrabble. Eventually our meetings turned into visits with my baby, babies, children, lunches and dinners; and of course whenever we could make it work, a game of Scrabble. She was fascinating. We would have long conversations about things like the mill her family owned when she was a child, and how she loved the bread they would make with the flour. Barbara shared how long it took her to grow up after her mother died in a car accident, after a visit from her parents, when she was a sophomore in college. And she confided that she always wished she would have stayed in school after that and finished her degree. Barbara told me about when she was hired to accompany Herbert Hoover’s wife’s secretary on a drive across the country to California because she didn’t want to drive alone. And we often discussed how things had changed since she was born in 1918. Our bond was deep and our relationship was strong. I loved her greatly and I am going to miss her terribly.

I said goodbye to Barbara and not 24 hours later, I had to pull it together and put on my happy face to celebrate my daughter’s birthday. She was so excited for the day to finally be here. First thing in the morning, she opened a makeup kit with her dad and brothers (and mom) before they left for work and school. We face-timed grandma and grandpa, who are away in Florida, while she opened the art set they gifted her. Thankfully we had planned to have a princess luncheon at my sister’s house in the afternoon. She picked out the dress she wanted to wear for the day and we all got ready to go. My mother and sister had a lovely Disney Princess table set for the first round of celebration. Naturally we would have dinner when dad was home from work at the restaurant of her choice, which happened to be Taco Bell. (Yes, I am aware that there is not 1 organic thing on their menu. To be honest, I don’t want to know their food products. I’m not in the mood.) I have to say it turned out to be one of my favorite parties. It was completely laid back and unpretentious. I actually found myself looking around at our group of about 30 people and laughing about taking up over half of the dining space. I was surrounded by people who love me and my children. We were creating wonderful memories for Naomi and nurturing the building blocks for her life ahead.

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Life is an amazing thing. Such a beautiful gift we get to share with each other. It’s hard to believe that Naomi is five! It seems like just yesterday the doctor said “It’s a girl!” and shortly thereafter, right in the delivery room, I called Barbara to let her know.

 

48 comments

  2. So sorry for your loss, it’s hard when you no longer have that person near and dear to you. Cherish the happy times with her. So glad you were able to spend your daughter’s birthday though, and what a spread!

  3. Beautiful post, Sadie. Thank you for sharing such wonderful memories of your friend. And it is so fun to share in the celebration of your daughter’s birth! She looks adorable and totally thrilled to be five!

    1. Thank you Katie. I don’t know if you saw but I shared your caramel macchiato the other day! I’m a bit behind on my reading but I saw you posted a veggie dish 🙂 looking forward to checking it out!

      1. Lol. I just saw! Normally I get a notification if someone links to my blog, but I had missed it, so I’m glad I was reading this morning!! Thank you so much! I can’t wait to pick out some good quotes! Thanks, friend. 🙂

  4. I love this post, it touched me. You, Barbara and your daughter are all beautiful people. Thanks Sadie for a wonderful read this morning, I certainly appreciate it. 🙂

    1. Thank you spearfruit for being so kind ?. I’ve been busy this week, but I am looking forward to catching up on some reading today. I saw a mention somewhere of biscuits and gravy! ?

  9. I know Barbara will be missed and I’m sorry for your loss, but I’m so glad she was able to have a friend in you! Love you❤️ And Happy birthday Naomi!

  10. So incredibly sorry for your loss, Sadie. Barbara sounds like she was a beautiful soul with a lot of love to give, and that you were are as much a gift to her as she was to you.

      1. Also, it was a refreshing read. Bit of a challenging time with our family and it was a wonderful reminder of cherishing small moments in life with the people we love. Thank you!

      2. Oh thank you for sharing. Life is so short and the older I get the more I value the time spent with loved ones. (Of course I am particularly sentimental right now.) Hope all works out well and soon. ?

  14. I’m so sorry for the loss of your friend. I’m sure she is happy to see that you tied your wonderful tribute to her in with your beautiful daughter’s birthday post though. Big hugs.

  16. You were such a blessing to Barbara and I know she blessed you:) Naomi Rain might end up being a great scrabble partner. The girl is smart as a whip!

  18. Beautiful post and tribute to your lovely friend. Thanks for reminding us all to hold our friends and family close to our hearts and cherish even the simplest moments- they make the best memories! xo

  19. Sadie, I am so sorry for your loss. Even though you have beautiful memories it still hurts. Barbara sounded like an amazing lady, you both were blessed to have each other in your lives.
    Your daughter is beautiful and it looks like she had the best day ever! Hugs x

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