The Caregiver’s Tales

Tiny essays on life, nature, grief and other things that catch my fancy in the Texas Hill Country. Here’s how it all got started.

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Grief and Loss John W Wilson Grief and Loss John W Wilson

Making Music

I made music yesterday with two friends. If you ever get a chance to make music with two friends, do it. We’ve played together off and on for about four years, taking our opportunities when they present themselves.

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Grief and Loss John W Wilson Grief and Loss John W Wilson

Another Lesson

Well, I’m back from Marathon and I’ve gone from having my day intensely planned to having no plans at all. The day once again stretches out before me, empty waiting for me to fill it with whatever strikes my fancy.

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Grief and Loss John W Wilson Grief and Loss John W Wilson

Grief Again

A final bit on my grief story. My three children. They’ve all been supportive. They backed me on my decision to move their mother to memory care, and they’ve been there for me since she passed.

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Grief and Loss John W Wilson Grief and Loss John W Wilson

Another Grief Story

Yesterday’s grief story, while a story about grief, was incomplete. Part of the tale. Another part is the group of old friends, the ones who rallied round, kept in touch, invited me out, took me to football games, celebrated my birthday, bade me sing.

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Grief and Loss John W Wilson Grief and Loss John W Wilson

Hill Country Summer

We’re having a hill country summer. There’s rain to keep things growing, and the summer heat is bearable. Unfortunately, the lakes and rivers are too low and too dry. But it’s still nice to be able to go outside.

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Grief and Loss John W Wilson Grief and Loss John W Wilson

Lucky Me

There’s a lot of mourning going on these days. People I know are passing left and right. The old crowd is getting smaller. Inevitable but still distressing.

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Grief and Loss John W Wilson Grief and Loss John W Wilson

Sharing

My little pink flower got me thinking the other day. Not always a good thing but sometimes something comes of it. So, let’s try this. It’s about sharing.

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Grief and Loss John W Wilson Grief and Loss John W Wilson

One Flower

At the base of the big crape myrtle is a flower bed that once was full. That was when the tree was tiny. There was turks caps, salvia greggi, and rock roses. They were abundant. Then the tree grew large.

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Grief and Loss John W Wilson Grief and Loss John W Wilson

Memory Tricks

I love summer. I got home yesterday following lunch and an afternoon of music with time to mow. So, I did. I changed into my work clothes and fired up the zero turn mower.

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Grief and Loss John W Wilson Grief and Loss John W Wilson

The Gift

Made music with friends yesterday. The best way to make music. And there were friends there to listen, too. And two of my cousins showed up, and that was special.

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Grief and Loss John W Wilson Grief and Loss John W Wilson

What We Had

Celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of my friends’ wedding yesterday. It was nice to see everyone. It made me think of my fiftieth wedding anniversary. It happened during Covid. June 2020.

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Grief and Loss John W Wilson Grief and Loss John W Wilson

One Day

I like the sound of rain on my metal roof. The sound of hail, however, is different. It sounds exactly like someone dumping a bucket of rocks on my roof.

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Grief and Loss John W Wilson Grief and Loss John W Wilson

Another Learning

I had an epiphany yesterday. As I changed the sheets on my bed, I thought perhaps I should change the pillow shams as well. After all, they sit there every day collecting dust. So, maybe they should be washed.

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Grief and Loss John W Wilson Grief and Loss John W Wilson

Valentine’s Day

My strongest Valentine’s Day memory is from the first grade in 1953. We lived in Oceanside California. My father was stationed at Camp Pendleton. My grandfather back in Texas had just died on the 11th.

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Grief and Loss John W Wilson Grief and Loss John W Wilson

Continuity

I’m still at it. Yesterday I went through all the dressers, desks, and cabinets to pull out picture frames. Some had pictures, but most were empty. I dispersed the nice frames to the kids.

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Grief and Loss John W Wilson Grief and Loss John W Wilson

New Things

Here’s an odd thing I’ve noticed in my journey of recovery from the illness and the loss of my wife. Sports are once again interesting, particularly when there’s a story involved, a story such as the emergence of the Detroit Lions as a winning team, having won nothing for a long time.

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