Sharon M. Himsl - Shells, Tales and Sails: January 2018

Friday, January 5, 2018

Celebrate the Small Things: The Good, Bad, and Best of All

Just wanted to say "hi" and wish everyone a

Happy New Year!!

I'm still finding my blogger feet as I continue to help my 92 year old mother move and now adjust to a new retirement home, a process that started in November. She is about 45 minutes away, which is wonderful, as she has been a day's ride away for most of my married life. I'm happy to have her closer, but I had no idea how I exhausted I would feel after the move. My husband and I are her sole source of family here, and the demand on our time has been tremendous. It didn't help that she fell and bumped her head and then came down with stomach flu right after the move. Then just the other day, her chin swelled up terribly from an infected tooth, so we are processing that now. I feel bad that I'm complaining. I love my mother dearly and would do anything to make her last days comfortable. I just want a little rest for all of us. We could use a break.

Okay, got that off my chest. Now for the rest the story..... Prior to Mom's big move, Vince and I had an accident in our small RV8 airplane. No injuries, thank God, but the right wing now needs to be replaced, due to a damaged gas tank and spar. It all started with a take-off that went bad. Loss of rudder control and a crosswind pushed us off the runway onto the grass median. We hit a landing light, which then ripped through the wing and gas tank, and damaged the spar (part of wing structure).

Lucky for us we were air born by the time we realized what had happened. I smelled gas, looked out the window, and saw gasoline leaking in great quantity from our right gas tank in the wing. Fortunately, the other tank was full and not leaking. We had to stay in the air until the tank was completely empty for obvious safety reasons, fearful it would ignite upon landing. Meanwhile, Vince had declared an emergency and we were directed to an airport where firemen and two emergency vehicles awaited our arrival. I was greeted by a tall, burly fireman about seven feet tall, dressed in fireproof garb, hose in hand. I could have hugged and kissed the guy, but managed to stay calm. We landed just fine without incident. Boy, were we ever the sight!

Then just the other day our Toyota was rear-ended on the freeway in Seattle. Again, no injuries so very thankful about that, but we are looking at $5000 dollars worth of damage. Grr...

So-000 that's my story, and I'm sticking to it. It really has been a good year otherwise. Really....truly, truly. My book was published, my mother lives closer, I wrote 17k words in new novel, and Vince and I are healthy for the most part. I have to say too that you can always find something to complain about, but it really is the little things in life that matter most. A neighbor delivered a pot of soup last week and I was reminded of how lucky we are to have them next door. My son and family visited from California and my home was decorated beautifully for Christmas. I pulled out decorations I hadn't used in years. Check out my grandkids asleep on the floor. I got some terrific pictures when we traveled to Seattle and saw more family on New Years day. These are the moments I'm going to remember most. They will warm my heart and make the bad bearable...and when you think about it, it certainly could have been worse!