Joys and Sorrows

 In church there is a segment in the service where people in the congregation are called upon to share any joys or sorrows in their life.

The joy:  There is great joy in anticipating the birth of our first grandchild.   Nick and I are about to become Grandma and Grandpa Sherwood.   That's so strange and funny because that's who Nick's parents have always been.  And now it is our turn!   I wonder if our kids will think anything of it?

 

Daughter in law Jody and her baby bump!

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My sorrow is losing a friend.  A friend I have known for almost 30 years through Power Surge, PS, a group of La Leche Leaders  who connected through a LLL email list. In 1995 or 96 I cannot remember, we were all so excited to be able to connect with other LLL Leaders all over the world.  But several of us noticed that many of these online conversations revolved around parenting your children.  Weaning.  Potty training etc.    

Norma Ritter, a long time LLL Leader decided to establish a group of us who were concerned about menopause and aging parents.  And so PS was born.  As people wanted to join, we welcomed them in until there were over 40 of us.  And we decided to close the group then.

This group has been through a lot of ups and downs.  When my brother died, my PSsisters sent cards to my mother.  When the first of our group was dying of breast cancer, a couple of the group went to sit by her and comfort her.  I flew out to Illinois to attend her funeral.  

We have since lost more members of the group.  When I say "lost" I mean that they have died.  

Around the beginning of the pandemic, 2020, we started to have regular online Zoom meetings.  Mardrey Swenson, one of our group, told us a few years ago on one of our Zoom meetings that she had Alzheimer's disease

And last week a big blow struck us.  Mardrey lived in New Hampshire. Another PSer lives there also and saw a news report that said that a woman with dementia had gone missing.  It was Mardrey.     The next day her body was found in a river near her home.

It is so sad.   Losing any of our group is sad.  But this is tragic and sad.

Mardrey and her dog

 

            And so those are my joys and sorrows.