Since retiring, one of my personal goals is to find joy in each day! Thanks to all the quirky holidays, there’s no shortage of celebration ideas. Last week, while I was in California visiting Mom, there was a big Cinco de Mayo celebration at The Preserves of Woodland Hills.
Today was the mother of all holidays, though.. Mother’s Day! I was able to celebrate Mother’s Day early with my Mom in California and again, this weekend with my son, Scotty, in Colorado Springs.
Celebrating Mother’s Day with Mom
Believe me, I don’t take my time with Mom for granted. At age 90, with dementia, Mom faces a lot of challenges. I’m grateful that she not only remembers me, but absolutely treasures our time together.
While I was out visiting her last week, we had an early Mother’s Day celebration. I made a little photo album for her. I hope it helps her feel less lonely when she’s in her room alone. (Although Mom remembers Michele, me, and Neal, she doesn’t remember our visits.)
Mom now lives very close to my sister, Michele, and Michele does a wonderful job of making sure Mom has all she needs. It’s always fun when I get a FaceTime call with them both, as I did today.
Celebrating Mother’s Day with Scotty
I’m grateful that not only did I get to celebrate Mother’s Day early with Mom, I got to celebrate the weekend, with my son, Scotty.
Scotty moved back to Colorado Springs this year. One of the traditions we have is to climb the Manitou Springs Incline together. The difficulty level is listed as “Extreme” and the Website says the visitors ages range from 7-70. I was surprised that 70 was the top of their age range! It’s not THAT hard if you go slowly. I absolutely intend to do it when I’m 71 and then I will suggest they update their Website with new age ranges (giving me credit, fame, and fortune.)
Afterwards, we celebrated with tacos and margaritas in the cute town of Manitou Springs.
This morning, we continued our celebrations with more delicious food and drink at Urban Egg in Colorado Springs. Check out that Tuscan Benedict I ordered! Yum!
Our next stop was Magic Town in Colorado Springs. This was a very cool gallery highlighting the work of sculptor and artist Michael Garman. I’d read about Magic Town in my “Only in Colorado” newsletter and I’d wanted to check it out.
The scenes were miniatures, but also included illusions. Using mirrors, many of the houses had dual scenes or created the illusion of long alleys. The museum included challenging scavenger hunts which kept Scotty and I entertained for over 2 hours. They were fun and helped us notice many of the interesting details of the sculptures and miniature scenes.
As I drove home from Colorado Springs today, I realized how lucky I am to be celebrating Mother’s Day with my Mom and one of my adult kids. Life looks very different at 90, 66, and 31, but love, laughter, good food, and time together matter at every age. Whether it was tacos and margaritas after surviving the Incline, hunting for hidden details in Magic Town, or sitting beside Mom looking through photos, this week was a beautiful reminder to celebrate the people we love. That’s really what Carpe Diem Day is all about.
And next year, I’ll conquer the Incline again … or at the very least, enjoy the margaritas in Manitou Springs!
