Heart of the Garden...

It's that time again to plant another blog post. This is Brenda and I am happy to introduce my companion and golden friend, Trevor aka T Man as my contributor for this month. As some of you may know, my other blog Brenda's Brainstorm & Trevor ended last year. You can still go back and read our posts at your leisure. I would like to share a link to the first blog post where Trevor was introduced. It was in February of 2011, after my mother entered the nursing home. It will give you a background on how that whole journey started and my reasoning for this particular title. 

https://brendasbrainstormandtrevor.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-tell-tale-dog_7.html

Without further ado, here is Trevor aka T Man to share his pawspective. Thank you Brenda, for that wonderful introduction. As you know, Brenda has done a great job of bringing me to life. Some of you thought in the beginning that I was real. Don't feel bad, because even in person others have said the same. Click on the link to the blog post up above and it will explain everything in great detail. 

The reason I was asked to contribute is because in February of 2011 I was brought on board as a storyteller for Brenda's Brainstorm. Don't you love that name? I pretty much shared tales of Brenda's mother's journey in the nursing home up until her passing on May 31, 2011. It never gets any easier, you learn to adapt and move forward. 

Now to explain the title for this planted blog post. Brenda's mother was an avid gardener. She loved it so much. It was her pride and joy. Brenda gets it now, because that is how she feels about her writing. She has been doing so much more in her journal lately. In fact, she is on her 14th journal. She started 6 months after her craniotomy and has made it a daily practice in her life. Writing for Brenda is a healing balm. 

Brenda had a chance to share a little about her mother's journey and how it all began, with a friend recently. She was allowed to share about that morning, when she had to call 911 and her mother was taken by ambulance to the hospital. It's a day that Brenda will never forget. She was sharing about her mother's journey on what was actually to have been her 100th birthday. Brenda didn't even realize it until that morning. Her mother was 88 years old when she passed and had just celebrated on January 24th before her illness, what would be her last birthday with Brenda. 

It is February and you all know that the 14th is a special day for some out there. Brenda received a beautiful gift from her mother decades ago on that particular day. We will share it at the end of this planted blog post. It will all come together then. 

Brenda made a promise to her mother while she was dying. It was simply to live her life and grab what she wanted. The second part was a little unclear at the time. Her mother's was that she would always remain in her heart, supplying strength and courage when needed. Brenda believes in signs. It can be something as simple as an urge to do something. She had an opportunity to share her rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remission story. She almost didn't do it, but felt that tug, which she believes was from her mother. 

Brenda strives to keep that promise every day. Advocacy is a big part of that. She has advocated for herself for a really long time. She is currently going through some more sifting through the weeds. Here is that link if you have not read this compelling planted blog post. 

https://bloomwithbrenda.blogspot.com/2022/12/sifting-though-weeds.html

Brenda found out today that she will be able to continue seeing her rheumatologist, even though he is considered out of network. She had to do some major paperwork to get this accomplished, only to find out it was the wrong forms. She had help from the insurance department where she is employed and also from her present insurance company. What a relief! Now if she could only get her biologic. That's a whole other saga for another day. It shouldn't have to be this hard for patients. That is why Brenda is so passionate about advocating, not just for herself but for others who may be experiencing similar issues with sifting through their weeds. I love what Brenda has done with this blog in making the theme about things in the garden. 

The Heart of the Garden was truly her mother. Her mother was honest to a fault. You knew where she stood on pretty much every issue. One of her favorite quotes and she would use it often was; "You can't legislate morality." Brenda has been having some robust conversations with a friend, who she appreciates so much. As we go through the gardens of our lives, we need to weed out those negative thoughts and replace them with positive energy. 

Brenda believes strongly in energy. She has created as you know a special day that is commemorated the 2nd Saturday of each month. Brenda coined it Sunshine Saturday and it started in 2015. It's a day to concentrate on all things positive. It's amazing what can happen when you choose to turn a day into something fun and exciting. Brenda has had some pretty spectacular ones. 

Brenda's mother always encouraged her to write down her thoughts. It took a brain tumor to finally have that drilled in her head. BOL Pardon the pun. They did use a Midas drill and you all know that is where I come in. Am I right? BOL 

Now to share another poem as Brenda always does at the end of her planted blog posts. This particular one is centered around the promise that was mentioned up above. 

This is Trevor barking off and leaving you with this beautiful crocheted gift and this heartfelt poem.