My Mother In Love

16 Jun 2026 1 Comment

by karendianearabella in Uncategorized Tags: , , , ,

There was a celebration a day or so ago in Heaven when my mother-in-law Ann Mccleod returned to The Father.

She was embraced by those loved ones that went before her and after 87 years on Earth there were many, some quite understandable – parents, grandparents, best friends and those gone much too soon – her children Dwight, Joel & Gerald.

My courtship with her son Joel (her firstborn of 11) was extremely quick as we dated and married in a 3 month time frame so there wasn’t any time to get to know her right away and at the time I met him, he’d been estranged from his mother for a number of years due to a great many factors.

I was raised in a family where being close with my mom was akin to breathing so I made it my mission to encourage my husband to reconnect with her.

Mom was a product of North Carolina, Southern in a lot of her ways but combined with a life lived in “far flung” locales like New York, Texas & Omaha she rose above circumstances that might have stopped another parent in their tracks. Some of the decisions she made may not have been the best but like all parents know – the blueprint is not always mapped out clearly.

She was extremely soft spoken but once she decided to let her guard down, she’d become a fountain of conversation. I wish I’d kept a notebook of the many cute & clever witticisms she used.

I was her daughter in law for 30 years and then her daughter for 12 when her son – my husband passed away unexpectedly.

In those first few months of grieving she took me in.

The last couple of years have not been kind; my once independent mother-in-law was diagnosed with a malady that robbed her of her vitality and cognitive abilities.

Yeshua has told us, to be absent from the body is to be present with The Lord.

Therefore, I choose to rejoice that her pain and suffering is no more.

May her memory be a blessing 💔

The System Is Broken

12 Sep 2025 Leave a comment

by karendianearabella in Uncategorized Tags: , , , ,

For some reason I used to be fascinated reading articles about senior citizens in New York resorting to buying and eating canned food for animals because they could no longer afford the prices at the grocers and lately, I’ve been slightly curious wondering just how awful or tasty (with the proper seasonings) a can of Kibble would taste?

I also used to imagine living like Eloise! How grand I’d imagine, room service, maid service, every day one adventure after another.

The reality is proving to be not as fun.

Dark thoughts assail my waking hours as I face the challenge of starting life over at age 70 – I am no longer an empty nester as both my daughter and grandson have come to live with me.

A couple of years ago my daughter started experiencing mysterious maladies that affected her motor skills which meant she could no longer drive safely which in turn meant she could no longer keep up in the fast paced environment of the Amazon warehouse.

She found excellent care from a highly recommended chiropractic physician specializing in neuropathy treatments, however insurance did not recognize it as a covered service, the treatments were too effective not to go forward so I put the charges on my credit card.

Two years later I put the outstanding balance into a debt consolidation program, I’d never missed a payment but the interest was accumulating so at the time consolidation seemed the wisest choice until my credit score plummeted and visions of Eloise are starting to resurface.

I’ve been applying for places to live and am finding out without a great credit score it doesn’t matter if you have reliable income and added insult to my injury, at my current apartment dwelling – in 9 months two separate tenants have vamoosed under cover of darkness abandoning their apartment.

I know life isn’t fair but geesh.

Until I receive a break or a miracle, I’ll be somewhere trying out a cat food casserole.