Every spring, my ultimate concierge and I leave our home in Rancho Mirage and return to our apartment in the sky in Chicago.

Today, in California, I am sitting in my great room looking out onto one of my small gardens. A peacefulness sets in as I think at length about the past six months of my life in the small community of Rancho Mirage.

I was blessed to have had many happy experiences. But, foremost on my mind is the loss of my devoted pooch, Orchid Good, who will not be lying at my feet on our American flight as she has for the last eleven years, nor will she run into our apartment in the sky when my ultimate concierge opens our door.

(In case you missed it, my story honoring Orchid, and all of the joy she brought us, is here.)

My longing for her has not ceased one bit since she died in my arms, in this home, on April 20.  Orchid is all around me.

I will miss this peaceful home; my garden sanctuary, and I will miss my lovely friends.

But, this year, as every year before, I will leave with my memories of the past six months and thank God for my ultimate concierge, my rock who always wraps his arms around me.

 

Memories That Matter

I know that not enough of us think about special happy memories.

We are so busy living in the present, thank goodness, that we don’t take time to examine how special experiences open new doors and change us for the better.

I did this today, in the stillness of my home, while looking out onto my garden and was quite surprised how memories large and small impacted my life from last November until this May.

After you finish reading a few of my vignettes, please consider thinking about the past six months of your life regarding a few special memories. I am confident you will bloom and blossom once you recall a few of your special memories.

 

The Message on the Small Rock.

At the beginning of our six-month stay in California, a small rock with the inscription accept created a life change in yours truly. A very positive life change.

My ultimate concierge and I spent a week at The Golden Door Spa. On the last day, high above the Pacific, I walked a Labyrinth. One does this in order to touch upon something that needs emotional attention.

I did not want to take the walk because I had no idea what to think about but…as soon as I had taken four or five steps inside the maze, a miracle happened. A serious problem, existing for years, came to the forefront of my mind and by the time I stepped out of the Labyrinth, I finally found a solution to an old and serious problem. I sighed with relief and smiled.

Just then our guide walked over to me and asked me to put my hand inside a black bag she was holding. The bag was filled with rocks, each with an inscribed word and I was to randomly select one. I was starry-eyed when I looked at my little rock. It read, accept.  The word acknowledged my decision. Darlings, there are times we have to accept what is. It is not surrendering. Quite the opposite. It is the acceptance ‘of our decision.’ It is powerful. I will call my rock, a learning memory.

(If you’d like to read all about my a-ha moment at the Golden Door Spa, click here.)

A Woman Named Diane

Have you ever felt close to a woman you have never met? I hadn’t until…Diane came into my life via the phone.  We have still not met! But, I feel a bond. I think she does, also.

Last November I searched and searched for an article, I misplaced, from the New York Times. My ultimate concierge came across it in an office waiting room and thought it would be an interesting topic for me to tackle. It discussed the importance of knowing your husband’s or significant other’s finances. There were four older women in the photograph sitting on a couch.  I was determined to find the article and eventually did locate it online.

After reading the article carefully, I noticed one of the women, the author of a best seller on women’s finances, also owned a Public Relations Company. I pulled up her company name and the first words hit me: PR for Businesses Targeting Women. We Bring Your Brand To The World. A Lifestyle Public Relationship Agency.

Soul Sisters

And so, never one to shy away from something of interest, I phoned Diane’s office. We spoke for a moment, she promising to phone back in the next few days. She kept her word and we had a warm conversation. Over the last six months we have spoken often (she lives in New York) and darlings, because of her personality, her 30 years in PR, her accomplishments and a chemistry, she had the ability to make me feel like she was my sister!  We discussed our businesses, our grandchildren, we are dog lovers, her husband knew of my husband. When Orchid died, she called to see how I was. We are soul sisters!

Why would I count this as an important memory? It is rare that someone you have never met leaves you with such a warm feeling; a feeling of genuine happiness. Discovering Diane in the past six months was a happy memory.

 

My New Chapter!

Early last December, out of the blue, I received an email from the managing editor of Abrams Book Publishing Company asking me to be the author of a book for Abrams. The editor found me online.

I matched the type of grandmother she was looking for to be their writer. I was beyond taken aback and grateful, that out of all the grandmothers, on the Internet I would live this experience. How fortunate I am.

The book’s second draft is going to be reviewed next week. The artist has done five renderings of the cover. I feel, when the book is published, I will have contributed to the happiness of thousands of grandmothers. Becoming an author will always be a memory filled with gratitude.

Making More Memories, Every Day

Over the next six months, I wonder what will be my happiest memories? We are planning on taking some of our grandchildren on an overseas trip. We have decided we will welcome a new pooch into our lives in honor of Orchid. Exciting happenings are going to be taking place at HoneyGood.com.

One of our granddaughters in getting married. My book will be completed. And, most importantly, I will be spending the next six months in my beautiful apartment in the sky in Chicago with my ultimate concierge. That will be my best memory.

The mind stores our memories. Bringing them to the surface, darlings, will be quite enchanting, fascinating, alluring, delightful and even disarming. Memories are a life force or an option to consider or they even create an impulsive move into something new. I am happy with all three. Are you?

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