Just passing by . . .

It has been a very long while and I am just passing by . . . .

 but I am thinking about writing and posting on my blog again.

She said yes . . .

There is something wonderful about being the mother of the groom to be.

Congratulations to my son and the lovely woman who said yes to his question!

Love Letter

I wrote a love letter this morning. 

Given that today is Valentine's Day, acknowledging someone I love is not an odd activity.  But, perhaps, writing a two page letter is. 

Writing letters, for most, is a dead art. 

When I wrote my first love letter to this man, apart from a telephone call, there was no other way to stay in touch.  Communication was face-to-face, telephone calls, or letters.  How things have changed -- emails, Facebook, text messages, Skype, or Gchat are quick, efficient ways of talking to someone. Daily, I use several of these methods myself.

But, there is something special about receiving a piece of hand addressed, personal mail. My grandfather, Daniel O'Connor, was a postal worker as were two of his older brothers.  As sons of Irish immigrants, I imagine that a dependable government job was very appealing.  I know that the post office provided him steady work throughout the Great Depression.  I know he was proud of his career.

The USPS just announced that Saturday mail delivery will cease in August. Since 2010, there has been a 20% decline in 1st class mail. I am among 7 of 10 Americans who favor the change in delivery schedule as a way to deal with the USPS debt situation. And despite the recent postage stamp increase, I will continue to do my part to keep the system working. 

I mailed over 100 Christmas cards last December and sixteen Valentine cards last week. I sent a belated birthday card yesterday to my oldest friend - of more than 35 years.  I mailed a package to my son at college - there wasn't one necessity in it.  I exchange letters with my mother's two remaining cousins; they provide my last connection to my mother as a girl.

Beginning with a Mother -To-Be Mother's Day card (mailed in May of 1956) from my Aunt Margie to my mother, a card from my father when I was at college, notes that acknowledge joys and sorrows, through a Valentine's Day card I received yesterday, I have more than half-a-century of cards, notes, and letters that chronicle my life.

I understand the power of the written word.  I cherish the feel of a decades old card.  I smile when I see my name written on an envelope mixed in between junk mail, flyers, and bills in the mailbox. I will continue to write letters that document both the ordinary and the extraordinary events of life. 

Horoscope 2013

I am a Leo; I do not read my horoscope daily.

But, in looking for something else, I came across a forecast for my birthday at Cafe Astrology.com. 

I learned that 2013 is an "excellent year in which to build and develop for the future. Advice - be patient, be receptive, enjoy the peace, collect."

Not bad advice for the new year.

Ode to Light

ODE TO LIGHT

Sunlight
Lanterns
Flashlights

Candlelight
Moonlight

This is the light in my life right now.

I have no power.  Almost 8 days.

Yet, I keep flicking the switch each time I walk into the room.

See you later . . . not goodbye

Thursday night, we stopped by a friend's house. This was something I had been putting off - as if not stopping, not acknowledging that they were moving away, would somehow mean they weren't leaving.

But, it doesn't work that way, does it?

As we drove past their house, every light was on. This made sense, the moving van was arriving early the next day and I am sure they had quite a few final details to attend to. As much as I didn't want to, I asked my husband to pull into their driveway - the time to say goodbye was now.

Throughout life, there are many kinds of friends that cross our paths. Some will even join us on our journey for a period of time. And, if we are very lucky, we will be blessed with friends that become something more, friends who truly become part of our lives for a long, long time.

These are those kind of friends. We met because of our 5th grade daughters but became friends because we really liked each other. We've laughed together, celebrated together, shared difficult conversations, and watched our girls grow up. (I have a decade of 'first day of school' photos of them in my photo albums). When Nancy went back to school, I was thrilled for her and several years later, when I returned to graduate school, she was equally as happy for me. Adult friendships are often hard to maintain, it takes an effort to stay connected in the busy world we live in. Something else is often a bit more of a priority than sharing time; and, even if you've made loose plans to get together, those plans often give way to the demands of every day living and schedule changes that happen.

But, when you do get together, it's as if you are picking up a conversation you had just paused a few minutes ago . . . it never seems as if you haven't seen each other for months. Straight talk, solid conversation, we've covered more than fifteen years of growing up - shifting through several phases of parenting and marriage. Now, they are leaving the neighborhood, moving south, and taking on a new adventure in their journey.

I wish them well. I am excited that they are following their dream, relocating to a community they are drawn to and creating a new life. Together. I am pretty sure our paths will cross again but it will be different. I reminded them of my annual summer picnic and if they are visiting family nearby next June, they were always welcome. They may come . . . strolling down my driveway, bottle of wine in hand, as if they still lived around the corner. I am holding on to that imagine. For now, this is see you later, not goodbye.