My Heart is Riding Shotgun

My mom, Sharon, passed away on November 24, 2023. This is the same date, November 24, on which her own mother died 57 years earlier.

Do we always have choices? I think so. And I hope so. We may not always like the ones that are available. Sometimes, of course, we may feel limited.

There are all kinds of changes that can occur in our habits and abilities when experiencing the loss of someone we love. Grief can take over in unanticipated ways.

I have been writing regularly for over four years and have published 89 blogs on My Heart is Riding Shotgun. Most of them are timeless.

I can be pretty stubborn. I’m a Taurus. A Bull. I like to think I’m more stubborn with myself than with others. My friends and family may say otherwise.

Math, or anything closely related, was never an enjoyable subject for me. I was lucky though. I had one of my favorite teachers in high school for Algebra 1 and 2.

Tim and I were in Sedonna for a few days to ring in 2013. This was a place we visited quite often. On this occasion, it was colder than we had planned for and in fact, it snowed.

Did anyone notice this blog is posted two weeks later than my usual schedule? Thank you to the three people who checked in with me about it.

Tim had been in the hospital for four nights. On the morning of the fifth day, we put in motion the decision we had already made together, to transfer him into hospice care within the hospital. 

In 2023, I went on 86 hikes, thirty-two of which were on trails new to me. For the past four years, I’ve been documenting my annual hiking activity. It’s not a race. It’s not a goal.

It was just nearly six years ago that Tim and I hiked in Rocky Mtn National Park. Instead of going to a main entrance, we chose an area that was actually only trail head parking. No gate. No ranger.

A few months ago a man left three voice messages for my sister, Jackie, in less than 24 hours. He said he grew up in the area and was calling to inquire about my Mom.