We received news today that Bo, our most recent foster dog, has found his home. A family with a stay-at- home mom to help him continue to train and 3 children to attend to his endless energy and passion for life. This is exactly what he needs and we are all celebrating – including Dakota who is likely thrilled to know she is firmly an "only dog" again for a while.
Other blessings over just the last few days – Tom, my brother-in-law in Traverse City successfully came through surgery and Meadow, our niece who is really another daughter to us, has provided care and compassion for both Tom and my sister above and beyond the call of family duty. I am so proud of her and the woman she has become.
Our home has been filled with laughter and conversation for two days since the arrival of Bruce and Flossie, two of our longest-term friends who are visiting from Port Townsend, WA for the annual conference of the UUA. Bruce and Flossie are among a very small group of friends originally from MI who I knew prior to meeting Ed, and were the foundation of my life (and Nik and Malina’s) for a number of years – and who welcomed Ed into the "family" with open arms. We have wonderful remembrances of Thanksgivings together when all of our children were very small and many of our parents were still with us, of Hilde the rotweiler who ate the turkey carcass and of challenges we all passed through along the way. It is so good to have them near, to share a glass of wine and a conversation about the past, current events or our dreams for what is yet to come. Ed, of course, has prepared only delicious and creative food for us – 3 kinds of bread which are complimented by cheeses Flossie and Bruce brought from Mt. Townsend Creamery. (Ed and I may have a new vacation mission – visiting cheese farms!) Dinner last night included souffles with whitefish that Ed smoked yesterday afternoon and a salad of beets, apples and mizuna.
And Malina, a graduate with honors from Wellesley, has a job as a cashier at Walmart! She continues her masters/Ph.D. work at Duke and this is a position to assist in filling in the financial gaps from her fellowship stipend – and yet it is a blessing as it took nearly a month and 50+ applications for her to find a part-time position in Durham, even with her resume which includes working in the US Senate. These are, indeed, tough times for everyone and especially for our young people.
And my last blessing of the day – my thanks to Terri to introducing me (and Ed) to Janet Evanovich…I’m on page 125 of Sizzling Sixteen. Sometimes a guilty pleasure is just what we need.