Dad asked for help in picking out paint colors for the interior of the house. People do this all the time–run out to the paint or hardware store, pour over paint chips, bring them home and pour over them some more, narrow it down–and then choose their colors. But it is different this time.
It will be two years in January that Dad will have lived solo in the home that he and Mom built in Florida to enjoy retirement over a decade ago. Sometimes it can be hard to agree on paint colors, and then life gets nuts, so the walls have remained white all these years.
White walls. There are things on the walls, and other colors all around, but they are still cold, white walls. Looking back, I guess that somehow my Mom’s bubbly presence, and all the yummy smells from the kitchen, didn’t make them seem as stark as they now can sometimes feel.
There are still many “touches” of Mom that remain here, some to his liking, and some not as much. Odd how a thing that they picked out together at a time and place in the past can serve a dual purpose at times – a painful reminder. Ah, GRIEF – a strange and unpredictable “companion” at times.
Picking out paint colors is another step in this journey alongside Dad. The goal is to make this a place Dad feels is homey and to his liking; definitely not to remove Mom from this home. I do happen to love decorating, so it’s a lot of fun for me and good practice for when we are blessed with our first house.
All things serve a purpose. Yesterday, as we drove back from dropping my brother and Godson off at the airport, I debated one last time to try to hustle out some Christmas cards still (yes, I’m well aware that Christmas BEGINS in 3 days, thank you). This year has been one of s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g, and amidst the rush of too many big and small things, cards became low priority. So we stopped at TJ Maxx to scope out the possibility of making my last ditch effort a reality.
We walked out with 2 new Comforter options for Dad instead, and I feel much better about the whole thing now, HA!
NOTE: That was your heads-up to look out for my Annual Christmas letter, well wishes, and photo shares here on my blog instead of in your mailbox, please and thank you 🙂
Now back to the fun stuff — the Non-Extreme Home Makeover: Dad Edition
This was the original comforter in Dad’s room
Dad had already picked up a new red blanket that matched this option, so we picked this up, as 1 of his top 2 choices, knowing one would be returned.
But this is the one we decided on. Dad likes how it brightens up the room. I like how it’s simple and clean, yet masculine.
Well, that’s step 1 of however many in this Non-Extreme Home Makeover. We’ll see where it leads – just glad to be along for the ride!
Closed Doors Open Windows 