Since Pat died, it has been hard. Harder for Mike and his mom, certainly, but still hard for our family. And nothing really has given anyone a chance to grieve or breathe. I find myself doing my very best and pushing my hardest to get through each moment of the day. Some days are very successful. Some days suck.

Basically, I’ve become a Plugger. And I’m okay with that!

Do you know what a Plugger is?

When I was a teen, my parents got a gazillion newspapers. I was never a fan, but I did adore the comics page. And in the bottom left hand corner, near the word puzzles and crossword was a one-frame comic called “Plugger.”

To me, Pluggers are everyman and everywoman. They are the ones who just keep on keeping on, even when they don’t have the right tools, any money or zero time. My parents, who worked harder than anyone I know, were definitely pluggers. My mom could fix lamps and cars. There were parts of our lives held together with duct tape. We only called in outside help for big projects like the furnace and the roof.

Here are a few samples of the joy that is Plugger…

We are Pluggers. We are doing the very best we can with what we have. It isn’t about shining… it’s about making it work.

Cheers to all my fellow Pluggers! We can do it!