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Mom and I are impressed with and HOPEFUL that the new Pope will change the Catholic church, if not the world, for the better. He says he is about helping the poor, not wasting money on lavish living in the Vatican. He seems humble and honest and brave enough to clean up old messes.
Mom had an old statue of St.Francis in the right (dark) corner of the back yard, for years. ( She calls him Frank). I cleared out the overgrown Ivy (FYI, Ivy roots are a B*****) and weeds in the left SUNNY corner and Moved him there. I bordered it and planted Clematis, Coleus, Liriope and hostas....keeping, but trimming the Montauk daisies that were already there,around him. I put a spot light on him and it casts an amazing shadow on the fence. Mom is thrilled.
She is Catholic....I'm a Christian....and we are both praying That "Frank" can do the job the way it is intended. The Garden, in his honor, will remind us everyday to pray for his wisdom, the poor and hungry, and God's will.
Please pray that our garden flourishes!

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Hi Boni! I'm not Catholic but I've been impressed so far with Pope Francis too...a truly humble man. I used to garden quite a bit...planned out flower beds, planted bulbs every fall and rows of impatiens along our front walk every spring. Just haven't been able to get up the energy for it the last few years :(. Maybe I should just MAKE myself go out there....?

Right now the most immediate stress reliever for me is humor....laughter really is the best medicine! I also love to read - especially fantasy (love "Game of Thrones"!) but just about anything that will let me escape the drudgery for a while. And whenever I can I draw/paint....problem with doing that is I HATE to stop once I get started so when my husband tells me "pack it up - time to go to mom's" I get crabby and depressed...and then I start kicking myself for being childish. Ach, it's a vicious cycle!
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I agree Ya....I took a "care givers" class that was not about the patient, but US. How to cope, relieve stress, ask for help etc. The class helped me to remember the things I LOVE to do. I had actually forgotten I was so caught up in the "drudgery".
When I get a nice day to work outside, I do have to stop (dirty and sweaty), every 20 minutes or so to check on Mom. She gets annoyed with me when I make too much noise with the trimmer and blower....but she TRULY get JOY from the finished product.
Try to EVERYDAY do something for yourself. Even if it's just eating a bowl of ice cream!
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Ice cream is good too! In fact my favorite time of day is in the evening when I know MIL is safely tucked in bed and I can finally relax, watch some mindless TV, munch on some popcorn or a plate of fruit & cheese...or a bowl of ice cream. And a cold beer or a glass of wine....ohhh yeah (cue the "bow bow" music from Ferris Bueller...;))
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That's me too! When I hear Momma snoring thru the baby monitor....THAT"S when I relax. For me it's a little "toke" then Ice cream! Best 2 hours of the day!
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Hi BoniChak-- I, too, am liking the new pope. Loved how he washed the feet of a woman on a Holy Day--a big no no -my priest says he is not a legalist-meaning he follows God and not so much the rules of the Church. :0) love a rebel Pope!!

For my stress reliever I make my husband massage me. (feet--get your minds out of the gutter!) I know-I am such a brat!! But I swear, I am part cat-I NEED to be pet but only when I want to be pet-just like a cat!!

For a hobby I love to walk in the woods. I guess you could call it hiking but I don't really hike. I meander around and look at the wild flowers and birds and rocks. I love to try and find heart shaped rocks. I really love to gather things like that. Sea shells, heart shaped rocks, pine cones( for an outside fire) , 4 leaf clovers... Of course, sea shells I only get to collect on vacation but the rest is local. I was thinking of picking up the hobby of mushrooming--there is one type of mushroom that is very rare and expensive -maybe moral? -- I have to google it-- and I think they might grow around me-around a lot of places. And there is a place about 2 hours away where a whole bunch of those rocks that have crystals inside are and I soooo want to go there--it is along a creek , I think. I just LOVE to gather nature things.

Fun.

I am in my childhood bed stressing about getting my Mom to my house tomorrow for the week. It is nice to think of things to destress(my husband and daughter a at home --miss them :(. )
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I am very blessed to have a brother with "big money" and go for a professional massage once a month. He is the brother in denial....doesn't spend much time with Mom because he does NOT WANT to see it, but if he wants to throw money at the problem...I'll take the massage!
I do believe nature...in any form...is a good stress reliever all the way around. It reminds us that our problems are small...in the big picture of life.
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My stress reliever is to knit and to crochet. I agree with others who have commented that icecream is a great stress reliever!!!
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