What has been your highlight today, no matter how big or small? Come share 🫶

Goodnight @PeppyPatti 💛, sleep well! I’ll be back later on today properly I am hoping 🤞🤞

Hugs @heartathome no you didnt trigger me. I was calm about it, but finally free enough to be able to express my realities, which are different to many people's typical experiences, rather than just do ... endlessly ... the work.

Thank you for caring about and being respectful of my incredible fragility in the last few weeks. I am rallying and so is my son.

@PeppyPatti Hugs gorgeous

Thank you @Dimity

@Oaktree @TAB @Chasingsunsets @DownMoreThanUp

Had a beautiful morning visiting a family friend in currently respite after a medical procedure. My son spontaneously set it up. She doesnt have to know about yesterday, as she had her own challenges, but it was just lovely being with someone we both care about, and relax and laugh. SOme piano was played. A walk to the river was had. My son gave me and her mini back massages with his strong fingers.

So we are slowly moving on, in a good way.

There has been more friendship and support for both of us, through this week's event, than ever before in our lives. The family has been shocking in its avoidance of loyalty and care ... long term. But friendships have slowly grown, and some people are decent and have a go... nobody needs to perfect ... but just show they give a damn.

@Appleblossom Awesome to hear!

i hope you be able to hold onto the good you have gained when bad life tries pry it loose again.

Peace.

@Oaktree omg congrats on finishing up on Friday!!! 🎉 we're so proud of you, look at how far you've come!!! how are you feeling now? have you got anything planned to celebrate finishing up?

Oh, I'm so glad I didn't trigger you @Appleblossom ! Thank you for saying so. I've been worried! I'm so glad that you and your son are rebounding! It warms my heart to know you and your son are okay! It sounds like you had a great morning with your son and friend. What a lovely thing your son did for you and your friend! (massage). 💛

I had a visit from my son today, with his support worker and dog. We had two hours together. We had lunch by a river and took Polly for a walk. She's on a diet but got a bit of a fish wrap from 'mum'. 😁 It was good to see him smile!

What a lovely "snap" @heartathome

Both having a walk to a river with our sons.

We are lucky to live in an area with some beach, some mountains, some rivers and creeks and wetlands, and some city stuff. A side of town many people looked down on until recently, however, I got in while prices were low, so maybe the last laugh is with me.

I am probably amazingly skilled at making crumbs bloom into apple pie, and getting by on the smell of an oily rag. Morphing yukky petrol smells into vanilla, or cinnamon or strawberry! Maybe its called resilience. But real life and death issues have always been close by, so I am careful not to get cocky.

@DownMoreThanUp

Yeah, that's cool! I'm grateful that I got to spend some time with my son today in my 'town'. I love where I live with the sea breeze! I am blessed! It will get hectic in the holidays! The population usually rises quite significantly!

I'm glad you got in before the housing prices went up. I hope the market skyrockets for you! You deserve it! @Appleblossom 💛

They may call it resilience, but I know sometimes I don't want to be strong! Sometimes I get mentally tired and need to watch for my own mental health while being on the forum. I only realised this today! I sit on here all day, every day. I have to reevaluate and prioritise. That just means making a flask of coffee and going down to the river or beach for an hour, at this stage.

I'm not financially rich in any way, shape or form! 😀 It's never been any different, so it doesn't bother me. My son and I ate at a soup kitchen for three years because I couldn't afford rent and food. It was like having dinner with nightly entertainment. Thank goodness for Centrelink loans!

glad you had soup kitchens to go to @heartathome love that you took that positive spin on it ... as entertainment.

I did work at a local one and took my son to it for a couple of months in his middle adolescence . ... we were serving... it was my way of teaching him the realities of homelessness that I knew well from my childhood. He also did a lot of food hamper deliveries, worked in a cultural integration program at a community centre. We have always had social consciences beyond our own immediate needs. Maybe, in a way, it was not good to take those christian philosophies of charity too far as we both have made excuses for people more hard up, but then got ripped off. It is a very slow process, finding the balances in self protection and discrimination of souls. My current teachings are trying to get him to find boundaries for his responsibilities and having expectations of decency of people he regularly interacts with. Let them show up and do the right thing too.

@Appleblossom @Shaz51

should I get out of bed and go down the street to officeworks and be responsible and get the forms signed and send them off then send them off using Officeworks emailing system

or should I start cleaning the fridge out ?
@TAB @Glisten @ENKELI @Glisten @Bunniekins

ps I’m getting cleaner !!

I'm so glad your son has you as his mother! @Appleblossom You are teaching him well! Take a bow. 👏

I wanted to take my son to a third world country and volunteer for a couple of weeks when he was thirteen to show him some people's reality as well. I didn't have the money, though.

He went on a pathway to manhood weekend instead. It was with a group of boys and men in an alternative setting out in the bush. It was men's business, but I trusted the people, and the 'uncle' he went with, who paid the $500 it cost. When he came home, he was so helpful around the house... for about four days! 😂 He said it was the best birthday present he's ever had and was glad I encouraged him to go.

He has grown up with little money, so he's down to earth and grateful, even though he is working part time and has some money to spend now. I'm proud that my son is a sensitive and caring man. I'm going to take some credit for that! It's a shame he doesn't have friends because he's a very loyal and kind person. He's more of a loner, though. I loved hearing these stories of your son! We love our boys, hey! 💛