Where Have I Been?

 It's been a minute, or two or three. Life happens, things get in the way or you just lose interest. 

July was hard. I lost my aunt to brain cancer. Mom and I were able to visit her for a week. We flew to BC and I was able to get out and explore for a few days but I did spend most of my time at the hospital where my aunt was in hospice. It hurt but also made me happy that my mom was able to see her little sister again. It has been years since they saw each other in person. Life gets in the way, and living across the country makes it harder. We always say we are going to, one day. Thankfully we were able to see her and they reminisced, Mom fussed over her and I know it broke her heart but I also know she was happy to be there, for support and reassurance. Two weeks after we returned home my aunt passed. She had an MAID order in effect and made the decision to exercise it. Her pain was gone, the fear gone. 

I think I stumbled through July, my aunt's passing affecting me in ways I wasn't anticipating. I wasn't close to her, not having seen her in years but just that life is so short. I have made it to the other side with cancer twice, I am one of the lucky ones.....but it makes you think. I had a lot of downtime, all I wanted to do was curl up and read. I didn't get out for walks or pull out my camera. I am not sure what I did other than exist. I wasn't depressed or anything, but I think I just needed to shut down and I did. 

August is almost finished, this month has flown by. I still haven't been out with my camera much or gone to my favourite places. Weather (hot and humid) was the biggest reason, the other is I was content to enjoy being at home, playing with the dog, reading on the deck and just enjoying being home. I came to the conclusion that I was happy, or at least my version of happy. Maybe content and settled are better words. My parents are healthy, my brother and his family are doing well, and my son is absolutely loving his new job which is a career with growth potential. My small world is good.

Back to school is around the corner, with one week left of summer vacation. I will have my 35th first day of school. Wow, where has the time gone?! I am hoping this upcoming year will have fewer obstacles and be more settled. Planning for a good year to come!

A few photos that I took while in BC. The scenery was stunning, so different from the flatness of where I live. 

With that, I will post again at some point. Take care of you, and hold dear those that are important in your life. ♥