Juli Schuster Art and Sanctuary

 One thing I miss about our old house is the front porch. It was the full length of the house with a swing and a wind chime at one end. That was my spot. I loved it.  I love a lot of things about this house, too, but the only covered outdoor space we have is the carport. Thank goodness it's an oversized carport because it leaves one end open. So I used what I already have and created our carporch. Layered rugs to cover more space, a garden bench, table and chairs from our old house and a swing I got for Mother's Day, the year we moved into this house.  I'm not gonna lie, it's not my beloved front porch, but as I try to pretty up the space around it I'm hoping it will become a cozy little corner for drinking a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. Hopefully it inspires you to work with what you have to create a beautiful space of your own. Be Good. Do Good.  ~Juli

  Grieving for my dad and having the grief for my estranged son hit me smack in the face again has kind of sent me into a tailspin this past week. I haven't slept through the night since the day of my dad's memorial service on March 22nd, which is also the first time I've seen my son since 2021.  This post is pretty selfish on my part because I have to get it out of my head and into a space where someone might hear me. (Fair warning in case you want to swipe this page closed before reading on.)   So, if you aren't familiar (I sincerely hope you aren't) let me tell you how the grief of estrangement feels: It's waking up and thinking everything is good, then remembering you are always/still without your child and the literal, physical ache in your heart and gut takes your breath away. It's the ruminating over every word or every act you ever made towards them that may have caused this.  It's the feeling of guilt and regret causing the heat to rise up in yo...