Moments to Cherish: Bend Day 2

 I miss my computer! Writing on my phone is more cumbersome and the words do not come as easily. I get caught up in the dynamics of writing on a small screen which seems to stifle the free flow of words. My consolation is that the struggle with the process may be stimulating my brain and staving off dementia. Gotta look for a silver lining.

Today I want to write another love story about friendship. 

This trip to Bend, we are staying at the home of Debbie Coehlo and Steve Buss. The back story is that Debbie was married to one of Joe’s brothers for awhile. They generously offered us a place to stay. Steve is Debbie’s fiancé and we have enjoyed getting to know him this visit.

When we arrived at around 11:40pm on Friday night they had waited up for us. We sat and talked until 2:15am before finally calling it a day. The next morning we enjoyed a visit before heading out to visit with our nephew Nate (yesterday’s blog).  Last night Debbie made us  a scrumptious lasagna meal. The entire time all of us talked. 

Debbie and Steve enjoy playing games that help to stimulate the brain. They introduced us to Qwirkle. Folks who know me well know I am not into games. I turn into Godzilla when it comes to competing and I lose all sense of propriety. The good news is that having had a glass of wine before dinner, I was a bit more chill. 

There was a lot of laughter and good natured teasing throughout the game. Debbie won with Joe placing second. We did play the game with the pieces turned up as a teaching tool. This amped up the competition for blocking plays. Debbie, Steve, and Joe are all kind people so that knowledge helped me keep my competitiveness in check.

Debbie and Steve have an adorable puppy, Marseille. Both mornings she comes into our room as soon as the door opens and jumps up to snuggle and lick us. Joe left early this morning to spend the day with his brother, Steve at the ranch Steve manages. (Two Steve’s may be a bit confusing - this is Steve Coehlo). Anyway, this meant I got all of the Marseille snuggles this morning. It reminds me of when we visit our daughter, Megan, in Minnesota. Megan’s dogs, Pan and Rufio, are terrific snugglers. Looks like I’m going to have plenty of dog snuggles in my future.

This morning, Debbie and I met up with another friend, Abbie Rexroad. Abbie and Debbie have connected before through family members and community involvement. It was amazing to sit with two people who value heartfelt conversation. Both are involved with children and gifted with understanding of childhood development. Debbie has her own practice - you can read about her at https://juniperpediatrics.com/about/director/.Abbie currently works as a pre-school teacher (ages 2-3) and incorporates her love of nature into the program. 

I could sit and talk to these two dynamic, mindful, and intelligent women for days. My love for each of them is such that when they leave my presence I feel as if part of me is missing. Fortunately, like so many of the friends the universe has blessed me with, they make space in their lives for me.

I am grateful for their time, energy, and mindful responses to my loads of questions about healthy living (physical and emotional) which they both embrace. Abbie shared with us that she is developing a YouTube series of meditations for children. 

My heart and soul feel nourished from the time in their space today.

If I had one wish for other people in the universe: Cherish those connections that nourish your soul. Go a step further and let the people you love know that you love them. Love feeds love.