Sometimes things hit you right smack dab in the face.

Grief is like that. Just when I think I have it all under control I realize I don’t.

And honestly – that is okay. That is how grief is. It is sneaky like that.

I was in Aldi in the baking aisle picking up some necessary things before scoping out the AOS aisle. (For non-Aldi folks that is the Aisle of Shame that has a whole array of items that folks feel they have to have like Valentine’s sweaters, tiered trays with objects to put on them as well as the elusive cabinets that everyone seems to be looking for.)

But I digress. I was just there doing my shopping and I saw and heard a woman with her elderly mom coming my way. They both had separate carts and the mom was pretty oblivious to what was going on around her and the daughter was gently trying to get her to move along in the aisle and get out of the way.

It hit me like a ton of bricks. The daughter was so compassionate but I could see the strain and hear the anxiety in her voice. I immediately flashed back to numerous Aldi trips with my mom and how typical that behavior was for her in her later years. I rarely had disagreements with my mom and she rarely showed anything but love towards me but when the dementia took over there were some memorable times when she definitely was not happy with me. Those memories came flooding back right when I saw that mother and daughter in the baking aisle.

I held it together but you can bet when I got back to my car the tears flowed as I was reminded once again how much I missed my mom . Grief is so weird. I have millions of wonderful memories of her and one chance encounter in grocery aisle triggered them all. So I allowed myself time to just be in the moment and remember her and be grateful for her.

I am not sad and didn’t write this for others to be sad for me – it’s just how grief hits at times. You just have to ride the wave and let it do what it needs to do and then when you are ready, move on. It’s all part of the journey.

Have a wonderful Monday and here’s hoping our snow melts today so my driveway is not a sheet of ice.