Here I am planting another blog post on this last day of 2022. This one has been on my mind for several days. I experience vivid dreams due to some of the medications that I take. There was one in particular that was beautiful and I want to share it with my readers. I haven't had many dreams about my mother. There was one time shortly after her passing while I was lying in bed one morning. The back of her appeared, as she was sitting at the edge of my bed. She was wearing pink which was her favorite color and looked so beautiful with her pure white hair. This was not a dream, when I called her name she disappeared. I was awake and felt so comforted by her presence. There was another time the day she was admitted to the hospital and I was sitting in a chair across the room from her bed. There were 2 chairs and I was sitting in one and felt a tap on my shoulder, so I turned to see who it was, but there was not another person in that room. That was a sign that I was not going to lose ...

Here I am once again planting another blog post. I wasn't going to do any writing this month, as I usually take a break. I decided this was something that needed to be addressed.  This year has been full of changes. As I mentioned early on in this blog, growth and change can be painful. One of the ways to help maintain a healthy garden is to get rid of the weeds. Let me expound on that in the next paragraph.  June 2nd was my 34th year work anniversary. That was something back in 1991 when I was first diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) that I thought would probably never happen. There were a lot of weeds to sift through. It was all a mess. Knowing what I knew about others living with this disease, I felt like it was only a matter of time before I would be going down that road of disability. In fact my first rheumatologist thought I should quit my job, go on disability and have my husband take care of me. Shouldn't I have been encouraged with help in navigating this diseas...

💛Well as promised, Bloom with Brenda is featuring a special guest contributor. Who better than the best companion I could ask for. Trevor aka T Man was my storyteller for Brenda's Brainstorm & Trevor from 2011 up until this year. You can still view the posts from that blog.  https://brendasbrainstormandtrevor.blogspot.com/ Here's the one and only T Man to share his pawspective. Take it away Trevor! Well thanks Brenda! It's great to be here and see this new gig that you have created. I'm really digging it and I know your mother would be so proud of you. I thought she was pretty cool myself. Anyone who was kind enough to make my first dog collar is golden in my book. I've gotten a few more since. BOL I am one blessed golden and it will be 12 years this month since my arrival.  I know some of you have been missing me. BOL This will all come together at the end of this post and you will understand why I was asked to make an appearance.  Brenda's mother loved pl...

Hello there! It's Brenda once again working out in my figurative garden. I want to thank everyone who has been reading this blog and commenting. I've been hearing from readers how some of my thoughts have been resonating with them. The heart emojis mean so much! That is what I set out to do. I want this to be a place of encouragement and HOPE!  I'm a big believer in timing and the next step in planting this blog post might be unique to some. I was encouraged by a coworker who I have recently shared this blog with to add my poetry. I always like to give credit where credit is due. It hit me like a lightning bolt when I had a chance to process that concept. I found out the day of my mother's funeral that she wrote poetry. We never ran across any of it while going through her belongings. My mother was a private person when it came to expressing her thoughts. You might find this comical, but I was actually quite shy growing up. I was the youngest of 5 girls and also struggl...

Here I am planting another blog post. What I'm about to share is figurative, but in terms of making something grow, I think you will get where I'm going with this. In order for something to grow that you have already planted, it must be nourished. In nature that can mean, moisture by several different climate endeavors, rain or even snow. In the state where I reside, North Dakota, we had been experiencing a drought for the past several years. The 2 feet of snow that we recently received, is going to be a big help in that area. It's a great start to this kind of season.  It has to continue and if you cease to nourish anything that you are involved with it will eventually die. That can mean just about anything you are involved with. It's our responsibility to do our part in helping with that nourishment. If you sign up to be a part of something, you do your level best to be part of that nourishment. That can be something as simple as your attendance and participation. It...

Here I am once again blogging. This time is all about new beginnings. This blog is in memory of my mother who passed away 11 years ago from congestive heart failure. One thing you might not have known about her is that she loved her garden. It was her pride and joy. Planting seeds and seeing flowers bloom was such a feeling of satisfaction for her. I got the idea for this blog because of that fact. She would encourage me in many ways. One quote that she used on occasion was "Bloom Where You Are Planted" It meant that wherever you may be placed in life you can grow and change. Growth and change can be painful, but it's paramount that the 2 coincide with one another. Without that happening, you may remain stagnant and end up going nowhere. I want this to be a place where you can come and be encouraged. As you can see from my description, I live with 2 challenges. My mother was my greatest cheerleader. She was the only person in our family who got my living with RA. She was ...