Lemons and Lists



I'm posting early today because tomorrow is kind of hectic and I wanted to not forget.  Forgetting seems to be something I do frequently as I age.  Luckily most of the stuff I forget can be remedied.
This week I've welcomed spring weather and iced tea brewing season.  My husband loves lots and lots of lemon in his iced tea and I love to look at lots and lots of lemons in a bowl.  A match made in heaven.

Lists.  We all have them, goals we would like to achieve, grocery items, errands to run, tasks to complete.  I think nowadays we have lists daily that need our attention.  My mother kept a notebook in her purse with her lists.  I thought she was kind of silly.  Can't you remember that???  Oh my, now I look at my lists and realize, um, no I cannot remember that.

She kept a list of my children's clothing sizes, what they wanted for Christmas, pattern ideas, errands, and fabric measurements.  She wrote menu ideas, recipes, and tasks.  Later when she was ill, she wrote how she was feeling and the side effects of her numerous medicines.  Writing made her feel in control.  Before she died she wrote out my name and my sister's name on a blank page and underneath who was to inherit what religious statue.  The simplest will that I know.

When I'm worrying, I write down the worries knowing full well in a week that those worries will be lessened, resolved or I've moved on.  That moment in time when it feels crushing is only a moment in time it feels crushing.  Time resolves so many issues.

Daily I list what I'm thankful for, what made me smile each and every day.  Walks in the sunshine, hearing the birds sing.  That first sip of tea in the evening.  Starting a new project. Friendships forged over years and the strength and power of those personal ties.  New shoes, a clean house, opened windows.  Oh I could go on.

I flip through the pages and remember when I wrote some of those lists, where I was and what I was feeling. Some lists are a mystery to me, I've abbreviated one too many words and the list is cryptic. However, I've crossed off the mysterious tasks so I was productive, at least.


Like my mom, I'm a word hoarder, notebook collector and a list maker.

Comments

  1. Beautiful post of remembering, Karen. I forget to make a list, or never have the pen handy. I totally understand forgetting and living by the list. Lemons are so beautiful and useful. I love having them handy for tea or cooking.

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  2. It is lovely that you have inherited your mothers gifts and forge pen to paper and are able to share the journey through lists.
    Enjoy your lemonade and make lists!

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  3. It's good to make lists, your mum makes me think of my mom, she makes lists all the time on post its, and puts those post-its on the door so that when I leave after visiting her, she is reminded of all the things she has to give me or ask me. It's not like we live a country apart from eachother (only a 5 minute car drive :-D) but it reassures her in a way, I guess. I think it's sweet.

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  4. My mom makes lists...so, now I do too. It really helps me navigate thru the day with all the things and tasks that need to be done. Those lemons look amazing!

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  5. I love lists! I love that you can look back on things by the lists you have made!

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  6. Lists help me know what's done/undone and generally keep me on track throughout my days and weeks. My mom isn't a list maker -- keeps it all in her head, somehow. If I don't write things down, I forget them, so I jot down those little joys, too. A lovely post, Karen.
    xo Lisa

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  7. I can't remember things either! I have tried to keep lists on my phone, but I don't like it. It doesn't feel like a real list if I haven't actually written it down. It is silly, but this post kind of gives me to freedom to drop the electronic list idea and go out to buy a little notebook, purse size! Thank you for sharing...
    xoxo

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  8. I love your phrase "word hoarder". I may be among your clan. ;) I love my various "notebooks"... and shopping for "office supplies" is almost as good as shopping for yarn. hehee. blessings ~ tanna

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  9. I've always been a list maker, I think it's the Virgo in me ;). I keep a bullet journal these days, pages of lists, quotes, menu ideas, the weather, yarns, ect. It's nice to have it all in one place.
    I laughed when I read that you have iced tea brewing season, I am married to a southern, there is always a pitcher of tea in my ice box, year round. :)
    Have a great weekend Karen, and remember to exhale!

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    Replies
    1. I'm a Virgo too, organizing and keeping lists must be "in the stars" for us. ;-)

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  10. You are so right about writing things down and then being able to look back having let them go, or moved on. I do that too. I have notebooks with all kinds of things written in them, I find that once it is written down I am less likely to forget it, even if I don't actually look at the notebook! I hope that you don't get too busy. xx

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  11. hello fellow word hoarder, notebook collector :)

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  12. I need to make lists. Even if I do it on my phone - I need to do it. I hope you still have some of your moms little lists. How special! And I love how she wrote your names down to let you know what she would leave you.

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  13. A beautiful post Karen, thank you. I love lists, and notebooks :)

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  14. beautiful post. i am a list maker too, it seems to be the only way i can get things done. <3

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  15. what a great post... I myself am not one (neither was my mom). When I write a list, it tend to loose it and then have to write the exact same list over again and again. Because - I like routine (meals, chores, life), I find I tend not to forget. But I have written journals almost all my life - so all the details I want to remember are there. Someday...this all may change though. Have a great weekend Karen...enjoy your lemon tea!!

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  16. Hi Karen, thank you for stopping by my blog and welcoming back online.♥ I loved this post, as I am a word hoarder and notebook keeper, too. I find myself writing things down more and more these days, both as a way of keeping track of incidentals and processing life. Just writing done my worries helps to alleviate them--it's as if I am pinning them on the page. . . and then closing the book on them. : ) I hope your day tomorrow is a good one, despite being hectic.

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  17. word hoarder here, too.....but more than that...a journal collector. lists seem just right for my journals...unless they are travel journals. lists and more lists.....and those cryptic abbreviations and lousy handwriting? and then, where is my knitting journal? lost my to-do journal again. And that pesky gardening journal??? gone with the list of all the plants I can't live without planting. sigh. Lists. ???!!!!!???? how do you organize them all?

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  18. reflection is a wonderful skill to master. You and Your mom seem to have benefited from it.
    I keep a TO DO list. My parents had their lists too. I like to choose the pen color, sometimes pink, for my daily lists.

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  19. I am a big list maker as well. There's always a "to do" list in the house or in my purse. I love the idea your mom had about keeping a small notebook in her purse. I may need to adopt that. :-)

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  20. I'm a list maker too. I really does help me to prioritise and calms me when I've got big projects to do. I can things up into simple jobs and get that lovely satisfaction of ticking them off. I remember my mum's shopping lists, they always started, tea, butter, sugar...
    Enjoy your busy weekend, hope it's a good one.
    debx

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  21. Love this post beyond belief!
    I too am a notebook/word collector - and a huge list maker!
    I need to start writing down my worries. I think that is a grand idea. And then maybe burn the piece of paper afterwards and send the worries off to the winds...

    Linda in VA

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  22. I am a list maker, I write almost everything into my diary so it is all in one place ;). I hope your hectic day was a good kind of busy. Have a lovely weekend.

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  23. I too am a list maker and I have many notebooks, which I use as daily journals, filled with thoughts and experiences. I am truly a fellow "word hoarder." I love that term ;-) Have a great weekend.

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  24. Nothing wrong with hoarding words : ) I loved reading this Karen, it made me feel a real sense of warmth, thank you. Hope you are having a wonderful weekend xx

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  25. I'm a lister. I have learned to break out my lists. Not to put too much on one, so I don't get overwhelmed and set up myself up for failure. It's a silly trick, but its for my own peace of mind. These days instead of notebooks and notepads, I prefer index cards. I love that you list. It does bring some order to the chaos whirly birding around in the brain.

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  26. thank you all for your kind words :) I love reading your comments!

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  27. Beautiful post. I too am an avid list maker and hope my own daughters will treasure memories of my lists.

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  28. What a beautiful way to look at lists... I've always found them stressful, but your approach to them is so much nicer. And boy would those clothing measurements come in handy! LOL!

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