Moving Forward

Still not fully recovered from the trip, but we are looking forward to British Don's arrival this afternoon. He and Michael will meet me at the house after his doctor appointment as I will be with mom all day seeing two eye doctors. They will probably beat me home. Dinner is already made as is breakfast for the morning.

It is a very busy week ahead for me so I am trying not to feel overwhelmed and take just one day at a time. Michael will be Don's chauffeur so they will have plenty of bonding time, which they really need. They have become such good friends.

Natalie, who I hired right from the Conservatory back in 2001 to teach Pre-k-5th grade classroom music education and the 2/3 and 4/5 choirs, is moving. After sharing her marvelous children with me through the years, she must leave the coastside. She teaches at an amazing private school, which her children also attend. The problem? The school is a miserable commute of 45-60 minutes each way, the kids have after-school activities so they often arrive home late, exhausted, hungry and ready for bed. They are planning to move closer to the school to make their life more sane. I am going to deeply miss them. Winnie and Oliver are my favorite children on earth and I am so thankful that I have been able to participate in their childhood. We will be together and see each other during the summer and vacations, I hope!

The countdown is happening in my family to welcome Hailey Colette sometime around June 24. My parents had only two grandchildren so this will be the first of the next generation. Shelley and Russ will be amazing parents and it will be a joy to watch her grow.

It is times like these that I realize no matter the illness or struggles, the world keeps spinning. Babies are born, people die but the tide still ebbs and flows. The birds nest, the animals hunt for food and nature continues. This was so true when I was struggling with deep grief after my dad's death after elective someday surgery. What helped the most was to put the top down on the car, turn on some nice music and drive along the coast. The ocean. The breeze. The hawks circling over prey. The beauty of the sun setting. It was a reminder that life goes on. I would have to go on.

The older I get and the sicker I become, the more the rhythms of life are louder and clearer. One day, I will realize that I am no longer able to keep up and it is my time to let nature take its course. May it be many years from now. I will cherish and be grateful of each moment of each day until that final day arrives.