It's Brenda here, with another planted blog post. Today, marks the 2nd Blogiversary of Bloom with Brenda. I started this blog in memory of my mother, who loved gardening. I found it only fitting to share a tribute to someone who became my best friend in life, after the death of my father from Alzheimer's Disease in 2007. We truly became a team, when it came to medical issues. My mother was my caregiver after I underwent a  craniotomy in 2008. I became her advocate, when she entered the nursing home in 2011, where she sadly lost her battle with congestive heart failure.  My mother was a wonderful gardener who loved making things grow before her very eyes, I could never understand why she enjoyed it so much, until writing came knocking at my door. I've said many times that writing is a healing balm for me. My mother's pride and joy was her vegetable garden and the flowers that would bloom in front of our house.  It seemed fitting to name this blog "Bloom with Brenda...

Hi, it's Brenda here, with another planted blog post. I realize that last month went by without my planting one. I celebrated another year of life with my 16th Craniversary on September 8th. I referred to it as my "Sweet 16" It was also 8 years since the first book I coauthored, Grief Diaries; Living with a Brain Injury was published. I referred to that as my "Infinity" I'm all about marking special occasions. Dates mean even more now, than before this experience of having gone through a craniotomy.  Today, marks another significant milestone in my life. It's 7 years since the 2nd book I coauthored, Real Life Diaries; Living with Rheumatic Diseases was published. It also happens to be World Arthritis Day, which always falls on October 12th, so it's easy to remember. I'm referring to this as my "Rainbow Book Anniversary" So many others from the CreakyJoints community were involved in this great book project.  If you would feel so incline...

Hello my fellow readers and dog friends. BOL Yes, it's your favorite golden boy Trevor, aka T Man bringing you this month's planted blog post. As you know, I like to dig for bones, so planting isn't really my thing, but for Brenda, I will do anything. BOL  I will be your guide for this planting session. Brenda actually came up with this idea today and asked if I would be kind enough to have my paws hit the keyboard for this planted blog post.  We are going to be exploring friendships. They can be complex and tricky and at the same time, wonderful and blessings beyond measure. Most of Brenda's friends in her close-knit circle read this blog, so let me be your personal guide, as we enter the garden of friendship. As we start this tour, allow me to walk you down the path of kindness and understanding. These are 2 great qualities of a friendship. There are some individuals that you instantly seem to hit it off with. It can be the fact that you have things in common. You may...

Hi, it's Brenda, with another planted blog post. This one comes out of a personal experience which happened to me several weeks ago. I decided to expound on this and you will understand as I keep planting. Usually in a garden you encounter weeds, but this will encompass a whole different slant.  Now for what prompted this planted blog post. Apparently, I was practicing my boxing skills while sleeping, managing to bump the left side of my nose, felt something moist and I ended waking up to a bloody nose. While I found this comical, it brought me back to almost 16 years ago, when I was experiencing waking up to a bloody nose quite often. It wasn't until after my craniotomy and receiving my MRI report and disc, it was noted that my sinuses were involved. That made perfect sense and I found out later that could have tipped off that I had a brain tumor. I said, could. My MRI report also mentioned something about mimicking MS. That made sense because of the rheumatoid arthritis (RA) ...

Hello again, it's Brenda with another planted blog post. This time I'm going to be going down memory lane with the life of my beloved sister, who I lost to colorectal cancer at the age of 54 on June 6, 2003. I want you to know who she was and what my being her little sister meant to me.  Beverly or Bev what she preferred to be called, was the middle child in our family. She was also the one who made every effort to make any family occasion, no matter how big or small. She truly was the core of our family and the one who did so much behind the scenes. Bev was not one who lived for praise or glory. She served the Lord in her own unique way. Her life exemplified that in a big way. Anyone she came in contact with was treated with kindness and respect. I admired and looked up to her. When she was going off to college, I was starting first grade, so you see there was an age difference.  Bev loved to read and would pretty much finish reading a book on the weekends when she would come...

Hello, it's Brenda with another planted blog post. I want to bring some joy into this one. I am so thankful that I came from a family that loved music. We all loved to sing. My father would sometimes sing in German the hymn; Gott Ist Die Liebe meaning, God Is Love. My mother would play the piano by using chords. Three of my sisters played piano for church. One even played the organ as well. My oldest sister and I were the soloists. I took voice lessons during my high school years and even during the summer months.  Music has always been a big part of my life. It helps to keep me centered, when I'm stressed or anxious. I like to listen to music while I'm walking. I haven't been able to do much of that this winter or spring, due to  osteoarthritis in my ankles. It happens to be Arthritis Awareness Month in the United States, so consider this my way of spreading awareness. It's been almost 33 years since I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and that has been ...

Hi, it's Brenda once again planting another blog post. This time I'm going to explore blessings. There have been many on the several journeys that I'm currently on. One, for almost 33 years and the other will be 16 this September 8th. I'm already working on incorporating a theme "Sweet 16" It will also be 8 years since the first book I coauthored was released, so double infinity there.  Next month will be 33 years since I started on my rheumatoid arthritis (RA) journey. It took years almost 21 years to finally realize the blessing of living with this disease. It actually took a brain tumor to turn it all around. Funny how that works. It was still several years after that experience, but it finally clicked one day. I got connected with someone who was being real about what they were going through, but at the same time, offering HOPE that it was possible to manage it. 2012 was quite the year for me. It seemed like anything I set out to do, turned out to be golde...

Hello, it's Brenda once again planting another blog post. This blog is all about growth and change. In order to accomplish that, you need variety. As they say; "Variety is the spice of life." I am however, taking a different approach in presenting this. I live with 2 distinct challenges. The key is that I live with them, not suffer. I don't want or need anyone's pity. I've been on these journeys for a very long time and I would like to share in the following paragraphs what I have learned. Let me break it down for you. In May of 1991, almost 33 years ago, I walked out of the rheumatologist's office with over 10 pamphlets given to me by his nurse on how to live with Rheumatoid Arthritis or RA for the rest of my life. I wasn't even actually told my diagnosis out loud. Being handed those pamphlets was my answer. I had to head back to work as a receptionist at the clinic where I am currently employed. It was a Wednesday morning in May, which ironically hap...

It's Brenda here, with another planted blog post. It is Brain Injury Awareness Month, so I thought this would be a good time to share something personal. It's going to be centered around my acquired brain injury; frontal lobe syndrome. It has come on with a vengeance in the past couple of weeks. I've been experiencing a life changing event with my career, where I was placed in a new position almost 2 months ago. I've been learning a lot and finding that it's okay to take it upon myself to branch out and glean all that I can. I'm also experiencing something that I've not in almost 20 years. I actually can make a suggestion or try to find a solution, and it actually is received, not discounted. That is huge for me. I've always been a fixer, but have felt that I've been stifled every time I would make a suggestion in my last position. I needed a change and this definitely has been a good one. It hasn't come without its challenges, but I feel I'm...

It's time for another planted blog post. This month is all about love, but I'm going to be sharing about a new business in town, that I absolutely adore. If you live in Bismarck, ND, this is a place you definitely need to be checking out. It's located right inside CHI St. Alexius Health at 310 North 10th Street. When you walk in through the sliding doors, make a right and you will discover a place that serves up breakfast, lunch and dinner 7 days a week. It's called Cafe Noko and it's a small family owned business. Their hours are 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.  When you walk in you will be greeted with a friendly staff, which includes, Brian, Amy and Cindy, Brian's mom who is always creating one of her famous masterpieces in the way of salads. There are fresh made goodies each day. What you may find are muffins, cookies, caramel rolls, danish pastries, etc. Something is always being made and the...

It's been a golden day here in cold North Dakota. I live in a warm apartment and feel very blessed. Yes, it's none other than Trevor aka T Man bringing you this planted blog post. Brenda has been dealing with a lot of changes over the past couple of months. She asked me if I would be kind enough to plant the first blog post for 2024 and I gladly accepted with open paws. BOL Brenda was afraid that she would somehow be burdening me, but I assured her that I would only be more than happy to help her carry that burden. This all comes from something she read recently. It goes something like this. "Don't say I'm sorry to have burdened you, but thank that person for helping you carry that said burden. The right ones will listen and be there." Not sure how it exactly went, so hence the quotes. Brenda is a big proponent in giving credit where it's due. Brenda also takes responsibility for when she messes up. It hits her more now, since living the life as a brain tu...