changes – MindMuse

Giving thanks in every season💕

November 24, 2022November 26, 2022 MindMuser MD

In every season give thanks – 1 Thessalonians 5:18

This season of my life has been hard.

I have been challenged by loss and grief.

Waking up to my First thanksgiving without my father physically present on earth is TOUGH!

To say I miss you is such an understatement 💔

**Arrival hugs the day before thanksgiving day 2021**

I no longer have the casual opportunity to physically express my gratitude to him with my words, a hug,a plate of yummy thanksgiving cooking, or jocular conversations shared on a thanksgiving morning family walk on the trail to Stacy Parks.

My thoughts wonder deeply into an existential plane… What does your view from heaven look like now? Are you gathered in heaven with your parents and other family members enjoying great laughs with the communion of saints? Is food even a thing in heaven?

Now your image mostly exists in my mind and my heart. Your eyes always so full of love and I only imagine that this love is intensified from heaven now .

Therefore your love goes on.. even in death.

I am choosing to give thanks to God for this love and all the manifestations of that love in my life .

You see , because my Dad loved so freely, he also accepted and gave so freely this love.

My dad’s love and acceptance of my DH , despite our cultural differences, while some Naija parents would have given a side eye to an interracial marriage and therefore blocked blessings – he did not, and not only welcomed my DH with open arms but supported our union true and true.

This gift of love and acceptance has therefore abounded exponentially in my life in so many angles.

Wherever I look I can see the manifestation of love in my life .

I see it in you my DH, I see it in my children, I see in my mother and siblings, I see it in my wonderful Oma and Opa and extended family and in laws, I see it in my Dedes and my Dadas, I see it in my cousins and their children, i see it in my dog Teddy, I see it in my sweet friends , I see it in my HOLLA group, I see it in my WOW group , I see it in my work and the ability to provide mental health services to those in need, I see it in the opportunity to be living in a beautiful country with my roots extended from the great continent of Africa.

**Hanging out on thanksgiving day 2021**

I see it in you ,my readers and I am grateful.

So yes, it’s a bittersweet thanksgiving , however I can still see so clearly the many reasons to give thanks.

I hope that you can look around you and your own unique circumstances and see reasons to be THANKFUL♥️🙏🏾

As always, thank you for reading my blog and of course I welcome your comments and any shared experiences .

Click on the “follow” icon, so you can get notifications on future blog posts via email and not miss out !💕

*DH ( darling husband)

*Dedes( Uncles ) Dadas(Aunties)

Long live the Queen !( In our hearts)♥️

September 9, 2022September 10, 2022 MindMuser MD

Today is one of those days that we will remember for the rest of our lives… The day that Queen Elizabeth II was lost to the ages.

What were you doing when you heard the news?

It’s a news that we knew was inevitable but still it stings us with surprise and sadness.

I mean she was the longest reigning monarchy! 70 yrs of rule🙌🏽 and yet that doesn’t seem quite enough.

Most of us have known her as Queen of the commonwealth for all of our lives.

It just feels weird to have that reality be different now.

Again , we are reminded of the seasons of change , for change is the only thing constant about life.

Change always happens.

Truth is Queen Elizabeth was beloved by so many!

My dear friends and I are even more grateful that we made our first trip to the London Buckingham Palace during our spring break circa 2002. I am also grateful that DH* and I visited again during our very first international trip as a couple

Queen Elizabeth embodied courage and loyalty which are human characteristics that inspire us .

So where were you when you heard the news today?

My kids heard it during the 6th period at school today.

I heard the news of her passing while I chatted on the phone with my MIL ( Mother in law) during my after school activities mom taxi runs😅

My MIL and I connected (yet again ) on our common admiration of this queen of many decades. My MIL is really is our local STL Queen with her many wonderful qualities ♥️

Truth is that, we need Queens in our lives , people who inspire us to be courageous, graceful, have impeccable taste in clothing and jewelry , loyal and above all , LOVING.

Queens with those qualities bring HOPE to humanity, no matter the seasons of our lives.

I am grateful for all the Queens in my life.

Rest in glory your royal highness 🙏🏾 Queen Elizabeth II.

As always, thank you for visiting and reading my blog and of course I welcome your comments and any shared experiences .

Just find and click on the “follow” icon,, enter your email address so you can get notifications on future blog posts via email and not miss out !💕

(*DH Darling husband)

Seasons of Change💕

September 5, 2022September 6, 2022 MindMuser MD

Have you ever heard the saying “ it smells like rain?”

I always wondered what exactly “it” smells like? Those who say that they can smell the incoming rain usually state it with some confidence in their knowing.

Typically they don’t give a precise description of the smell of incoming rain except to say “yup! It sure smells like rain”

It would be nice if the storms of our lives came with warnings in the form of a fragrance or perhaps an alarm. This will help us prepare for the changes of new season in our lives.

Not every change of season is to be feared. Some changes of season are welcomed for the endings that they bring and the new beginnings they usher in.

In life, change is inevitable. A wise man once said that the only thing constant about life is change.

Nonetheless change can be hard. We are creatures of habit and we thrive on predictability.

While we are always undergoing changes , some changes of seasons are more impactful than others.

Going through changes in our lives and the lives of those we love can be OH So bitter sweet.

There are joys in the new seasons but there are also challenges and hardships with having to make ANY change.

As the fall winds begin to enter the Midwest American atmosphere, I too notice the changes in my own life.

I am watching my young children become teenagers who are now sparing with their hugs from time to time. Distant are the days of their toddler selves , physically clinging on to my arms ( and even legs) for security.

Their growth is beautiful to see, but they are also growing into their own independent lives.

In addition, I am also watching my dear parents, now grandparents beginning to age and need more care.

Spending the past week with my parents in New Orleans, was a stark reminder of these winds of change.

Is this what they mean by the “sandwich generation”?

**My family, parents and my parents in law at our twins’ holy communion celebration.**

I don’t know what the new season of life will bring however I am hopeful. Hopeful that I am equipped with all the grace I need to triumph through this season of change.

Gratefully, I don’t walk this path of change alone, and will not take for granted, the many loved ones I have , on this journey of life .

All of your support have been highlighting the blessings of God in this season of change.

As always, thank you for reading my blog and of course I welcome your comments and any shared experiences .

Have you had to care for your aging parents while raising your own children? Do you have any advice for managing these sandwich generation years?

Click on the “follow” icon, so you can get notifications on future blog posts via email and not miss out !💕