Beginnings and Endings
My days have been filled with beginnings and endings lately. They are running together in a dreamy watercolor painting sort of way---blending one into the next, the edges soft and muted. Sometimes it is difficult to tell where one stops and the next starts.
My younger son starts back to school today. He's a freshman in high school now. I'm not sure how that could be possible, but here we are. So this is a beginning for him. We have been busy with all the usual back to school things: buying clothes and supplies, filling out the umpteen forms that are required by the school every year, he's had his physical from the doctor so that he can play in sports, he has his class schedule set up, orientation meetings have been attended, he has toured the high school building and knows where his classrooms are, and he has met his teachers.
He has decided against playing football this year, which is an ending. This was his decision completely, but I have to admit, I am just as happy that he's not on the team. I never felt that it was a very good fit for him because he is so laid back and easy going. He is not exactly the aggressive type. He is still planning on being on the wrestling and track teams later in the year.
The main reason he has decided against football is because participation in it would conflict with his practices with the youth symphony. The youth symphony is a much higher priority for him than playing football. (Once again, this is his choice, but it is one I wholeheartedly support and am thrilled about.) His practices in Toledo will start next week which will be another first for him. He is very excited about being in this organization and is really looking forward to it.
The string quintet that he is a part of here locally in our town performed again yesterday morning. They were asked to play for the Presbyterian church, so we attended services there this week instead of our home Methodist church so that we could hear the quintet's performance. They did well and were told that they'd love to have them come back again anytime. Many of the congregation members there greeted the kids from the quintet to thank them and compliment them on a job well done after the service. Quite a few made a point to speak to us the parents of the kids, as well.
The old couple that I often see walking in the park happen to be members of that church. They both came over and introduced themselves to me and said how delighted they were to have the quintet playing for them. I have seen them so often that I almost feel like I know them. It was nice to finally meet them. So both the string quintet and the Toledo Youth Symphony are beginnings for my son.
My older son has finished with the factory job he was asked to fill in for. It was hard and exhausting work which involved him lifting and moving twenty five pound metal parts over and over all day long. He worked as long as they needed him, though, without complaining to complete the parts order that they had come in. He was glad to get the money it paid. So that has ended for him for now, and in a couple of weeks he will have another beginning as he returns to fall courses at college.
My husband, who works for the county school system as a school psychologist, also has been dealing with beginnings and endings. There have been some changes in the staff of the office where he works, and he has been assigned to work at different school districts this year than he worked at previously. They are also moving to a new office which will mean a longer commute for him and which has meant disruption and upheaval as he and his coworkers pack and move everything. He has been preoccupied and stressed in dealing with the changes, as can be expected.
I have begun the process along with my brother to make decisions regarding what to do with my mother's possessions as it is quite clear to us that she will not be able to return to her home to live. Eventually, we will need to sell her house as there doesn't seem to be much point in continuing to pay for insurance, taxes, utilities and so forth on it there when she is living at the nursing home. It has been and continues to be a slow, sad, and very difficult process for me to do this, of course, because of all the memories that live there.
There are certain things she wanted us to have and other things we will be selling. Her piano is now mine. I haven't played for about thirty years, so I will basically be starting over when I do try to play it again. I never had formal lessons. I just taught myself what little I do know. It makes me sad to think about playing it right now, though, so it will wait until a time when I am more ready.
My son's girlfriend has been playing it some though, which makes me smile big. (Have I mentioned how much I love this girl!) She has had formal lessons and plays very well. It is a digital piano and does all sorts of things which I have not yet figured out, but perhaps she can teach me a few of them. It even records songs that you play, if you push the right buttons. She recorded one song on it for me which is why she is wearing the headphones. She didn't want us to hear it until she knew she had played it and recorded it perfectly. If I could figure out how, I'd hook the piano up to the computer so you could hear it too. I'm not even sure if that can be done, but it seems like a plausible idea.
My mother continues to have both good and bad days. She has been able to talk more of late which is good. They recently ran some tests on her, though, which shows she still has quite a bit of dysphagia, which means she has difficulty swallowing. As a result, they have changed her diet to soft foods and thickened liquids which she isn't very happy about. They are continuing her therapy in hopes of improving her swallowing abilities.
The library held a potluck lunch last week as a thank you to the local Friends of the Library for all they do for us. I was to bring a salad. I ran out of time to make something the day of the dinner, so I purchased some macaroni salad at the deli counter of the grocery store. I bought too much, as I always do. You know how it is. You start out to buy a certain amount, but once you have it in your hand and you think about the number of people who are going to be at the dinner, you are quite sure that it won't be enough, so you buy more just to be sure. It is kind of an unwritten law in this town that there should always be a great bit of food leftover after a potluck is finished. This is how much salad I had left over after the dinner.
There is still some of that left hanging around in the refrigerator today. The last of the macaroni salad will be one ending that will be a welcome one for me.
My morning glories continue to bloom although we have had several very hard rains lately in which they took a beating. I did notice a new color and shape of one bloom. It was a very pale blue and the flower was square shaped--different from the more round shape of others I've had.
So here it is Monday, another beginning: a new day, a new week and more reasons to find to dance. I hope you all have a good week and whatever beginnings and endings you encounter, that there will also be reasons to dance.
My younger son starts back to school today. He's a freshman in high school now. I'm not sure how that could be possible, but here we are. So this is a beginning for him. We have been busy with all the usual back to school things: buying clothes and supplies, filling out the umpteen forms that are required by the school every year, he's had his physical from the doctor so that he can play in sports, he has his class schedule set up, orientation meetings have been attended, he has toured the high school building and knows where his classrooms are, and he has met his teachers.
He has decided against playing football this year, which is an ending. This was his decision completely, but I have to admit, I am just as happy that he's not on the team. I never felt that it was a very good fit for him because he is so laid back and easy going. He is not exactly the aggressive type. He is still planning on being on the wrestling and track teams later in the year.
The main reason he has decided against football is because participation in it would conflict with his practices with the youth symphony. The youth symphony is a much higher priority for him than playing football. (Once again, this is his choice, but it is one I wholeheartedly support and am thrilled about.) His practices in Toledo will start next week which will be another first for him. He is very excited about being in this organization and is really looking forward to it.
The string quintet that he is a part of here locally in our town performed again yesterday morning. They were asked to play for the Presbyterian church, so we attended services there this week instead of our home Methodist church so that we could hear the quintet's performance. They did well and were told that they'd love to have them come back again anytime. Many of the congregation members there greeted the kids from the quintet to thank them and compliment them on a job well done after the service. Quite a few made a point to speak to us the parents of the kids, as well.
The old couple that I often see walking in the park happen to be members of that church. They both came over and introduced themselves to me and said how delighted they were to have the quintet playing for them. I have seen them so often that I almost feel like I know them. It was nice to finally meet them. So both the string quintet and the Toledo Youth Symphony are beginnings for my son.
My older son has finished with the factory job he was asked to fill in for. It was hard and exhausting work which involved him lifting and moving twenty five pound metal parts over and over all day long. He worked as long as they needed him, though, without complaining to complete the parts order that they had come in. He was glad to get the money it paid. So that has ended for him for now, and in a couple of weeks he will have another beginning as he returns to fall courses at college.
My husband, who works for the county school system as a school psychologist, also has been dealing with beginnings and endings. There have been some changes in the staff of the office where he works, and he has been assigned to work at different school districts this year than he worked at previously. They are also moving to a new office which will mean a longer commute for him and which has meant disruption and upheaval as he and his coworkers pack and move everything. He has been preoccupied and stressed in dealing with the changes, as can be expected.
I have begun the process along with my brother to make decisions regarding what to do with my mother's possessions as it is quite clear to us that she will not be able to return to her home to live. Eventually, we will need to sell her house as there doesn't seem to be much point in continuing to pay for insurance, taxes, utilities and so forth on it there when she is living at the nursing home. It has been and continues to be a slow, sad, and very difficult process for me to do this, of course, because of all the memories that live there.
There are certain things she wanted us to have and other things we will be selling. Her piano is now mine. I haven't played for about thirty years, so I will basically be starting over when I do try to play it again. I never had formal lessons. I just taught myself what little I do know. It makes me sad to think about playing it right now, though, so it will wait until a time when I am more ready.
My son's girlfriend has been playing it some though, which makes me smile big. (Have I mentioned how much I love this girl!) She has had formal lessons and plays very well. It is a digital piano and does all sorts of things which I have not yet figured out, but perhaps she can teach me a few of them. It even records songs that you play, if you push the right buttons. She recorded one song on it for me which is why she is wearing the headphones. She didn't want us to hear it until she knew she had played it and recorded it perfectly. If I could figure out how, I'd hook the piano up to the computer so you could hear it too. I'm not even sure if that can be done, but it seems like a plausible idea.
My mother continues to have both good and bad days. She has been able to talk more of late which is good. They recently ran some tests on her, though, which shows she still has quite a bit of dysphagia, which means she has difficulty swallowing. As a result, they have changed her diet to soft foods and thickened liquids which she isn't very happy about. They are continuing her therapy in hopes of improving her swallowing abilities.
The library held a potluck lunch last week as a thank you to the local Friends of the Library for all they do for us. I was to bring a salad. I ran out of time to make something the day of the dinner, so I purchased some macaroni salad at the deli counter of the grocery store. I bought too much, as I always do. You know how it is. You start out to buy a certain amount, but once you have it in your hand and you think about the number of people who are going to be at the dinner, you are quite sure that it won't be enough, so you buy more just to be sure. It is kind of an unwritten law in this town that there should always be a great bit of food leftover after a potluck is finished. This is how much salad I had left over after the dinner.
There is still some of that left hanging around in the refrigerator today. The last of the macaroni salad will be one ending that will be a welcome one for me.
My morning glories continue to bloom although we have had several very hard rains lately in which they took a beating. I did notice a new color and shape of one bloom. It was a very pale blue and the flower was square shaped--different from the more round shape of others I've had.
So here it is Monday, another beginning: a new day, a new week and more reasons to find to dance. I hope you all have a good week and whatever beginnings and endings you encounter, that there will also be reasons to dance.
