This week has been another hectic one, fitting in the last activities of the Easter break, getting back into term-time routines again with rehearsals now added in to the mix, trying to catch up with jobs and preparing for various things that are going on over the next week or so. It’s all a bit full-on at the moment and I’ve had a bit too much going on in my head this week, as well as all the emotions around the anniversary of Jessica’s death.
Thankfully, I managed to have a quiet morning on Tuesday to give myself the headspace I needed. I had some quiet time at Jessica’s forever bed and had some lovely messages from friends and family remembering my beautiful big girl. My sister sent me a couple of videos of Jessica that I don’t remember seeing before and it was such a joy to watch them.
Otherwise it’s been a week of juggling a few too many balls and I’m looking forward to things hopefully starting to calm down again at some point, or at least getting to the point where I’m not feeling quite so overstretched by the mental load!
What I’ve been grateful for this week:
- Day 100 – I am grateful for an evening at the theatre with Sophie watching her friends in their fabulous production of Footloose.
- Day 101 – I am grateful for getting to the end of a three-festival run. Sophie has enjoyed dancing and catching up with her dance friends but we’re definitely ready for a little break before the next dance festival!
- Day 102 – I am grateful for all the fun moments we’ve had over the Easter holidays.
- Day 103 – I am grateful for rainbows.
- Day 104 – I am grateful for Jessica and the joy she brought to our lives. Thank you to everyone who has remembered her today with love.
- Day 105 – I am grateful for bluebells.
- Day 106 – I am grateful for coffee and a catch-up with a friend.
Other things that have made me smile this week:
- An after-school trip to Jump-In.
- One of my friends describing Jessica as “bottled sunshine” – such a perfect description.
Joining in with Raisie Bay for Word of the Week.
Also joining in with #Project365:
Ah you’ve had some nice memories of Jessica this week, despite it being a hard anniversary.
We’ve had quite a few rainbows this week too – proper April showers this year compared to the last couple of years.
It’s so good that you got to spend some quiet time at Jessica’s forever bed on Tuesday. How lovely to watch videos of her that you had never seen before. I hope they brought you comfort on such a sad day.
It does sound like a very busy time for you; the mental load can be overwhelming, so I hope you can find pockets of rest for yourself.
What a beautiful photo of your girls!
Oh wow! It does seem like such a hectic week. I am glad you got to have some quiet time with Jessica and how wonderful you are still being sent videos that you have never seen before. Sending love and hugs. x
I hope you get time to rest soon, life can be hectic sometimes but we still need times of quiet reflection and I’m glad you managed to find a little. I have so many fond memories of your stories of Jessica and always loved her relationship with Sophie.
Hi Louise. How serendipitous to find you today as I simply googled to get some information regarding Ladybirds. One hitched a ride on my bag into work today. I want lots of them in my flower beds and hope to build a strong community of them. I fell in love with Cottage gardening while visiting the UK in 2023 and haven’t stopped since. I love the story of your Ladybird adventure with Jessica and Sophie and read on to learn about your family’s journey with Jessica. As a healthcare chaplain, I am grateful to experience your blog and to see your family continuing to thrive.
Thank you Mark. My children loved learning more about ladybirds and I’m glad you enjoyed reading about our ladybird adventure and our family’s journey.
How wonderful to see videos of her you didn’t see before. I’m sending you virtual hugs. xx
I’m loving all the bluebells here in Malvern, we’ve some in our garden also. I’ve been putting them in pots so we can move them and replant them so they don’t get damaged when we move our path. Love seeing the rainbows. Lots of ladybirds in our garden at the moment also.