To New Beginnings

After taking the female bambino to school, Evan and I went to drop donations off at New Beginnings- the local battered women's shelter. They were so kind and appreciative. Thank you to the staff who came out front to help. Evan was so proud, lugging what bags he could up the ramp. He even noticed an electronic bowling set his grandmother had put into the mix, citing ever-so-bravely that he still liked it, a little miffed that she had decided it was time for it to go. He had his moment though, and shrugged his shoulders, carrying it to the door. He made sure the woman knew that he and his little sister had worked really hard to go through their things. She was ever so grateful. We took a picture of him standing with all the things we had brought. Good grief, he's getting so old...

What a great feeling. It would have been enough of a pleasure to have taken those things by myself, knowing that people who really need a taste of home would be getting them; when your children are a part of it, the feeling goes a lot further. I'm unbelievably proud of my kids.

Later that afternoon, I saw the wise neighbor I had put in a word or two about in yesterdays blogs. I was sitting with a friend of mine I hadn't seen in ages and introduced them. She said, "Oh, you're the wise neighbor...I read about you on her blog!" He laughed. "You wrote about me?" "I sure did," I told him, at which point he said that he has to read it now. We laughed as I gave him the web address.

The weather has been beautiful, though I'm hopeful for a little rain soon. I won't complain if there's a thunderstorm soon....ah, how I love a good thunderstorm. The louder the better...with a good light show, if possible...and hours of heavy rain. Ideally, it would roll in after the kids are asleep (they'll sleep through anything, but if they know it's coming, it's madness), I'd get to watch it for a couple of hours before going to sleep to it. Never do I sleep as peacefully as during a thunderstorm. But alas, not a cloud in the sky as far as I can tell. Appreciate what you have...and be careful what you wish for :-)

Right.

It's a lovely day. The freakishly big fish are breaching like baby whales every few minutes- a sound I've come to wait in silence for some days. This perfect breeze has kept up for two days now. I was so taken with it all yesterday afternoon, that I shot a five-and-a-half minute video of the nature in front of me. It was so calm. I panned ever so slowly across the water and along the tree line, noting the chirping of the birds, twenty of the hundred geese we have sunning themselves without a sound, and the willow tree. That willow tree. I figured that someday I'd want to really remember this place, and I wanted to remember it exactly how it was yesterday afternoon. I watched it last night in the same spot, but in the darkness, and it was almost surreal.

Man, I love my porch. I live outside though. Can't do walls. No, sir. You'll often find me huddled in a blanket and robe in the winter, writing on the porch. I'll go back in to warm up, then I'm right back out again. Winter...bleck. Someday, it will be porch weather all year. Can't do walls.

This evening, Rachel and I are off to serve dinner to the families on the Hospice floor at the hospital. Hope they like spaghetti and garlic bread! Thank you, Mom, for staying home with the kids, so as not to overwhelm the small group that will be there. Three years ago this July, they so lovingly took care of Tim for his last three days. Those poor people...there were anywhere from ten to sixty of us up there at any given time of day or night. We are all so grateful to have been afforded that opportunity without an issue. Acoustic guitars and voices and all. Thank you, Hospice. It takes a very, very special kind of person to do what you do.

Enjoy the rest of the day, everyone. And by the way, thank you to everyone who has been in support of this project: those that read the daily posts, those who have shared this link on their Facebook pages, those who care. This year-long project is so, very important to me, and I'm glad there's been some interest. Thank you, thank you.

Be The Change...