Afternoon Tuvia,
It could start raining at any moment here, over the Hudson, but my balcony furniture is neatly piled in their summer space near my plants, grown into giants in the last two years. Remember when they were babes, just like the Kaplan babes, both young and younger… three generations under a rented roof on Montauk. All of us preparing for Dani’s wedding, the same Dani you and I finally found one Saturday afternoon after a Bar Mitzvah in New Jersey, allowing Rick and Earis peace of mind to leave her, knowing we would find our way(without GPS technology) and get her back home safely. And yes, we did… Dani in the back seat of one of your white Ford Explorers traveling on unfamiliar New Jersey roads, with Dani, chatting and then snoozing, exhausted after hours of fun.
And just last weekend, she married Cliff and now another pair of young adults are committed to continuing together. And for the first time in two years, when they were raised up on chairs to dance the hora, I joined in with Manda on one side and Leigh on the other… and crushed in with family and familiar friends, I took a deep breath and welcomed in this present life without you.
It was an evening without sadness. I had a new dress from Chicos, a vodka with a splash of cran and a celebration that brought me joy. I sat with grown up Manda, and Josh, Rasha and Steve. I videoed the wedding ceremony from the second row, with an unobstructed view, and after a speedy 3 hour drive home in the morning, I was able to edit and send of a link on You Tube so that Herbie could get to see what he had to miss, in less than 24 hours.
And now back home, in cool quiet with just the hum of my trusty MacBook pro backing up 2 years of data, I am breathing. After months of letting my devices fend for themselves, I was back on a stool with an Apple genius, directing me through the steps of cleaning out some malware and then reviving my backup routine. After a break in customer service Apple has returned to their workshops and Marsk appeared to welcome me back when I need Final Cut support. No more one- on-ones but group support without a yearly fee will bring me back to the table. And yes, I am considering a new computer. It’s time…
And even though I was ready to grab pictures and publish this slice of life, Jonathan arrived for my guitar lesson and in one hour I was brought to exhaustion, happy exhaustion, challenged by a new piece that sounded easier than it is to master. Good thing, right?
So much to be grateful for from you from the world like breathe in.
Miss you my T,
Bonnie S.
“It was an evening without sadness.”
Happy that this sentence surfaced as I read your Slice. May many more such evenings unfold.
🙂
Kevin
I so hope so. Year 2 is def easier than the first yr without him
So much harder than I could have imagined.
Memories entwined with living life in the present. Slowly a new normal appears.
I hear you. I hear the newness coming through you. Love this: “a celebration that brought me joy”. Happy to know you are smiling.