Moments of Joy

I awoke this morning in-between.

In between a large furry man and a large furry cat; both had cuddled next to me during the night, both giving off warmth and both snoring!  I awoke sweating and feeling loved, with a bit of cat hair stuck in my eyelashes.  On my!

It started me thinking about in-between places in my life and in the lives of others.  You know those liminal places where one is neither here nor there, but in a doorway of sorts, or perhaps at a plateau.  Finished with one place but not quite ready to go to the next, or not quite knowing where one is going.

Mum is in a plateau place now.  She and her furniture have moved out of her old apartment.  Her furniture has moved into the new one, but she cannot, not just yet. 

The apartment is not ready, though my niece and her partner are steadily working to make it so, and working hard to make it welcoming for her.  The plumber came yesterday and the finish carpenter comes today, or tomorrow?  There is no fridge yet; no place to put it until some of the other work is done.  Painting and fans/light fixtures need to be repaired.  The stove needs to be cleaned and hooked up. There is a list.

Mum is at a liminal place in her life, currently staying with my sister and her husband, as she waits for her new home to be complete.  Though she enjoys being at my sister's home, it’s hard on her not being in her own.  She’s used to being in charge of her life and doing what she wants when she decides to do it.

She’s a good sport!  Mum occupies herself with gardening at my sister’s and with brief errand runs for items such as door stops and a mirror, new towels and a “Welcome Mat” and a carpet for beside her bed.  This place of neither here nor there is hard on her, but she is coping.

She knows she must wait and enjoy what she can out of each juicy day.

We all have those times, the in-betweens, the neither here nor there; it is part of our journey.

All will be well in the end, if we enjoy our moments of joy, like waking up warmly loved, or a new bedside rug, colourful, cheery and cozy!