Our Own Wonder Woman- Nana/Mom/Jeanne Makes 80 Look Great!

What a treat to celebrate Mom.  The eightieth birthday was not what she planned or even hoped for, but she rolled with it, and it worked even in COVID time. Thank you dear friends for her support and happy life in Hagerstown.  Her actual birthday was on tennis dinner night so that is what she did.  Sarah and I were able to bring our families and celebrate with an intimate dinner the next day. The pictures tell the story- right!?!  Mom is happy, healthy and makes 80 look great! The social media posts were lovely too- thank you.

The blog's purpose is to document life on Newark-Granville Road and share the behind the scenes happenings.  The top picture is a screen shot from a video Sarah snagged while she opened her gift- Betty Cook earrings.  I feel like Betty Cook attends special Stoner events often. I wore my maid-of-honor necklace from Sarah at the birthday party to keep in theme. The kids were darling and oohed and ahhed adding to the fun.  We missed the sunshine Stoners but will celebrate soon. They sent the gorgeous roses to represent.  We carried them from room to room, meal to meal so they were always with us.

I love this picture as it shows the movement and energy of the night and includes Peter. This is the picture that made me pause and miss Daddy.  It has been tradition to grab family pics in front of this mantle at FHCC.  The last one we did with the full family was Thanksgiving 2019. I know as I was looking at pics to think about the year, document it for a gift and just reflect.  We miss him, Mom misses him. We're all so proud of how she is doing. We appreciate everyone inquiring about how Mom is doing with her grief. Let the record state- she is our wonder woman.  She remains active with bridge, tennis, and has added golf, yoga and mahjong! She is learning and rolling with on-line engagement with these activities. She goes to the store often, too much in COVID but she has her small pods/paths and is aware of the risks. She continues to cook well and knows how to reach out when lonely. Thank goodness for sweet Birdie dog, Sarah and Greg for being close and the amazing neighbors, friends and family in the area.  I reflect now on the true stress and impact of caring for a sick husband. We all knew Daddy was in a long, slow decline and accepted it. No one better than him.  Mom and Dad had an amazing love and marriage which leads to worry what would happen when one was gone.  It is the AND...Mom was an amazing partner AND she is an awesome woman. She knows how to be alone, independent and happy. She lets us know when she isn't and gets her feelings out.  Sarah and I were talking today- our mother does not wallow.  She walks the talk of lessons for us- pitty-parties can only last so long.  

We are blessed to have our mother and for our children to have their Nana. My parents' love created quite a legacy and we're enjoying and benefitting from it. My father lives on not just in us but in my Mom. This is how we are doing in our life on Newark-Granville Road. We're celebrating life, memories and important milestones as together as we can. Mom makes 80 look great and by the way- she treated us to dinner- thanks Mom!