My dad last April (2017) hamming it up …how he loved to make silly faces …my mom is pictured with him in the top left one
( This first section of the blog contains a little bit of personal reflections I had about this year and spring…thanks for indulging me)
Spring is a time of rebirth. A time of new beginnings. I came across this series of photos of my dad that I took last April. I had gotten him and my mom this daffodil. They both use to love to garden and their yard was always beautiful. As the years went on they weren’t able to physically do it anymore, so I’d pick up little flowers and plants to give them a little of their gardening joys back. These photos brought a smile, dad was really hamming it up with his silly faces.
I miss him in so many ways. He left us 7 weeks ago for heaven. I’ve focused on those last days and how it all ended as I’ve grieved. I will be forever changed by that journey. I’m so thankful for the time with him and all he taught me during it. His humor, his strength, his courage, his tenacity to fight for each day God ordained will always stick with me. I felt like I was witnessing the birth pangs of going out of this life into a new one. The letting go of this world for another. He left us in winter. These last weeks, I’ve often felt like all I could feel was the pain of the loss and the missing him. I will always miss him. As things become green and flowers bloom, I’m reminded that winter isn’t the last chapter. Springs always comes and with it a rebirth. My dad is experiencing that rebirth and all the newness of life in heaven now. C.S Lewis said, “Joy is the serious business of heaven.” I love that quote. The contrast of the ending here with the beginning there is like winter becoming spring. The resurrection to new life is what my dad is experiencing in his heavenly mansion. I imagine his yard there with a gorgeous garden and bright yellow daffodils all around.
My grief for him is intermixed with the joy and hope of seeing him again there. And someday it will be ALL joy with no more sorrow, no more death, no more goodbyes. Spring reminds me that joy and new beginnings will always come. That what we sow here is never lost. Those seeds of all my dad was here live on in us all and he is waiting for us all, still loving us, still cheering us on. Spring gives us a picture of what is to come…a small glimpse of the beauty that will be in heaven…the new life there. It reminds me of what matters and what my heart and mind should focus on.
Spring bouquet of tulips and peeps in our Disney family room
I love to decorate for spring. I fill my home with pastels … a pastel parade to go with the usual blues and whites of my home. Bunnies and little chicks hip hop and dance a long the ledges of my mantel and furniture pieces. I feature a few famous bunnies like Peter Rabbit and the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. You can see my spring/ Easter decor of my living/dining room Link here.
Spring mantel close up
A few years back, I hosted a Peter Rabbit Easter Lunch for a few friends. I’m a theme girl. My husband says I think in themes and he’s so right. For me, having a theme helps me come up with ideas for the food, activities and decor. You can see this theme Link here
The Peter Rabbit Easter Luncheon spread
I also set a cute Peter Rabbit Table. Having a theme doesn’t require having a lot of people over. This table scape is set for 2. For me, what’s important is creating a memorable time. Setting a table is one of my joys of life. You can read about it Link here
Peter Rabbit Table Scape
In our Disney family room, I have another famous rabbit, Thumper, and his pal, Bambi. This room I just put touches of Easter and spring in. I didn’t feature it in a separate post, but below are a few more photos of this room. Mickey & friends join them as cute little Easter bunnies, too. Tigger & Winnie also join in, in the adjacent kitchen area.
My Disney family room decked for spring
Winnie, Tigger & Rabbit join the spring fun
This last area is some shelves in our bedroom. For spring, I styled it with my Disney light boxes and some spring miniatures. Both things feature my love of tiny things. I began collecting the light boxes a few years back. I love the little scenes in them. In this photo, only the Alice in Wonderland one is lit up
Our bedroom shelves featuring Disney light boxes and miniatures of spring
Close ups of some of the miniatures and the Alice light box. The girl with the daffodil,
I purchased this year from a wonderful artist, who has an Etsy shop called, ” Jone Hallmark” The White Rabbits with the baskets and eggs were bought from Pottery Barn. The bunny in the basket and the chick with bunny ears are from The Mary Engelbreit Store from her fairy garden collection.
May the joy of spring and all it brings make you smile this season. Next month, I will be featuring a few Disney themed parties. I also will be sharing a few of my favorite things to buy, places to eat and things I love to do at Disneyland…so next month’s theme here at Lindy’s List will be all things Disney and Disneyland.