Bittersweet

                                                   Tomorrow morning I start light duty- woohoo! I'll be in a completely different environment then I'm used to and definitely out of my comfort zone, but I'm trying to look at it as a new experience and one step closer to getting better. It was also a good excuse to buy new shoes since I needed a nice pair of low heeled shoes to wear with slacks and dresses.
                                     My youngest took the opportunity to go shopping with me so we could check out prom dresses. We have a tendency to but heads when we shop together. My input isn't usually appreciated, it seems like anything I pull is automatically rejected because if Mom likes it has to be awful and she thinks she looks fat or just plain horrible in everything. She has no idea how beautiful she is and it just pains me to hear how critical she is of herself. I hate to admit it, but that's something she's learned from me. I have my own issues with self image and unfortunately that's rubbed off on her. But today was a good day for us, she showed me the dress she had been considering and found two more (Mom's picks) that she really liked. 
                                 Since I'm returning to work and we'll have less time together Mr. D and I took the time to get out the other night, attending a benefit for the family of a friend of ours who recently died. I got to see a lot of people that I haven't seen in quite awhile, had a really good time and helped raise money for Butch's family. It was rather bittersweet, the benefit was a success and his widow was so touched that so many of Butch's friends came together to help out their family, but he is still gone and the money that was raised won't bring her husband back.
                                   Occasions like this tend to make you want to hold onto your own loved ones a little tighter and that is what Mr. D and I did when we got home. He put is mark on me in a number of places other than my behind, not leaving bruises, but reddened areas that are just now fading. I was left in a puddle afterwards and he had to help steady me when I finally went to get up because my legs were like jello. It was a very intense reaffirmation of our love and commitment to one another, a reminder that life is too short not to show the one you love just how much they mean to you.