I’ve been realizing what a time of remembrance summer is for me. It seems, looking back that some of the sweetest memories were summer ones. So all summer, I’ve been doing slow and wonderful things that remind me of my family and I’ve been a watering pot. I’ve been weepy lots and lots. I miss my family. I miss Deb, lots.

I was so happy when I received the invitation for Bob’s celebration. Bob and his wife Peggy, who’s now gone about 7 years, were very good friends with my parents. The Houstons were family friends, I loved all their daughters. I love that even though we see each other only once a year or so that we have all this shared history. They know me, who I am and how I think. Our life choices have taken us in many different directions, but since we all know where we started, we can sometimes trace our way forward to where we are today. We love one another… Love simply is…

It was a beautiful day. Bob talked about how he used Sam as a model of who we wanted to be and how he wanted to age. He spoke about mom’s painting lambs in his barn. All these little moments of our lives were there to be touched and explored.

A day under the trees of remembering old memories and making new ones with cake — wow, a sheet cake that was half coconut half banana! and Tandy Kakes. PA picnics.

Small sweet, sacred oases of Peace in the midst of a challenging world. Seize those moments when you can! Life! It’s what we build and we have and what we can remember.