Over a month ago I caught a flight to Arizona to assist in caring for my ailing (non COVID-19 related), eighty-four-year-old mother. It’s been a roller coaster ride of a variety of sorts, which there is no preparation for. Although she is doing better, assistance for elderly care during this pandemic is - well… hard to come by. But, we (my sisters and I) are handling it and it certainly has not been without humor. And, like most of the country/world, we are staying in place, with added necessary precautions.
I am very grateful that I have the ability to be where I am, but I long to roam free. Since I was a teenager when the world seemed to be closing in on me, I would lace up my sneakers and run, letting the wind, rain, snow or sun take me away in the wide open spaces. The great outdoors has always been my refuge and even though the setting where I currently reside is beautiful - complete with trees, Bougainvillea and a plethora of birds - I long to roam.
When things start to feel too heavy, I do what I have always done, only now at a slower pace. I roam the streets until I come to the canal that is fed by the Salt, Verde and Colorado Rivers. It is a place for runners, walkers, bicycle riders and wild things. The canal runs for miles and miles and is protected between two concrete walls that are draped with flowering bushes. Ducks, geese and turtles are often found and I stop to talk to them all along the way. It is good conversation. When the weight starts to lift, I turn and head back, with the knowingness that I have been replenished and can face whatever lies ahead.
This however does not cure my homesickness - so I roam through photographs of the buffalo, which transports me back home to the prairie. In them I see brighter days ahead. I’ve put a collection of images together to share with you and I hope they brighten your day too. Wherever your “stay in place” environment is, stay strong and roam on. It's good medicine.
40 comments
Lovely, stay strong and may we always have places to roam free.
Thanks, Ms. Jill! Know always that this time with your mom and your sisters is the best gift you can give each other. Treasure the moments. Even the hard ones….maybe especially the difficult ones….add strength to the glue that family provides at times when all else in life seems shattered beyond repair. Blessings!
Thank you for sharing.
I love to roam, too. Thank you!
Thanks so much for sharing Jill, Blessings and hugs to you and your family
Joyeuses Pâques de France! Merci pour ces magnifiques photos et plein de bonnes choses pour vous et votre famille (et en particulier votre Maman).
When I realized the extent of personal sequestering in place and over stocking of household shelves which was taking place here in Portsmouth, NH, I eventually considered how well situated you all were in buffalo heaven on earth for your sustenance. I was pretty sure we could get at least one good order of bison in the freezer before things maybe got iffy, and so we did. As more and more people strongly evaluate lifestyle choices for pursuing optimal health, I feel fortunate to have discovered your herds years ago for our source of red meat. It makes me feel truly rich to relate this to others, even though we are not that wealthy. Sorry to hear about your loved ones in Arizona dealing with issues we elderly must address. May your herds swell.
Beautiful words and lovely images..Sending prayers from Idaho.. Happy Easter🙏
One could get lost in thoses skies… Best of luck with your Mom. Many of us have been there.
Thank you for the heartfelt writings and beautiful photos Jill. We are right there with you on trying to take care of family that is miles away, especially in these difficult times. All the best to your mom as well as the rest of the O’Brien and WIB family. Happy Easter from South Carolina. Stay healthy and well.
Great Post for right now Jill, best of all it worked as Intended😁. There’s nothing for me like pics of the the herd, their health and majesty to make my day🤩 ..
This journey you are on with your Mom and sisters is one you can never take again. You are such a wonderful story teller, now is the time to listen to the stories she has to tell and get answers to what you want to know, if she can.
I made heart stew and tongue this week.
This is how the best stories come about.
From the heart and spoken by the tongue.
Love each other through these complex times.
Let your spirit soar while you roam.
From ‘lock down’ but not locked in, in Florida.
Allows me to take a deep breath of your inspiration. Thank you Jill!
we are reminded this season of Easter of a message not of pain and suffering but of hope and healing. our spirit is untouched by anything of this world. we never ask for pain but yet encounter our share all the same. lifting our vision above the fray by going quietly within, we can easily remember our resurrected spirit that never leaves us alone or without, we have freed ourselves to roam again and again in joy and peace.
finding that peace in nature touches us deeply I would guess. it does for me.
So glad your Mother is doing better and wish you were visiting our great state of AZ under better circumstances. It really is a beautiful place. Love your words above and the photos!