Happy Easter!

Hey Amanda,


I don’t envy you at all what you had to go through this week, but am incredibly proud of you for having gotten through it so well. God does work in mysterious ways, indeed, but also remember that just when you think you have the journey figured out, the itinerary can change again. I guess that’s our incentive to keep our laundry clean and our bags light… Anyway, I am proud of you, and happy for the support you have gotten and will undoubtedly continue to need from friends and family.

Your Easter plans sound nice and quiet, and perfect—although I must say I am not a fan of the honey ham. My mom usually makes regular ham, and turkey breast, and roast beef to feed our modest group of 30. Holidays can be much larger but Easter tends to be one where my cousins indulge their in-laws and celebrate with them, keeping our numbers on the low side. Yeah, right. Square footage issues aside, I couldn’t host 30 now, never mind when I’m 70. God Bless my Mom and Dad, who will get hugs today, by the way, as will everyone else in my big crazy family. I’m looking forward to seeing D, especially, but am secretly worried that she won’t look well, that all the spirit and strength I hear over the phone and get in her text messages will be hidden by fatigue and painful movements. Fingers crossed that once we get laughing, as we always do, I’ll forget this afternoon that she is very sick.

I’m glad I took the time to go to Boston, too. Getting there ended up being a bit of a nightmare, with unexpected traffic on the pike and then in the city, but we had great weather and a great time. I’d send you pictures if we took any, but we didn’t—although I did have my camera with me at the market yesterday and when we went out to dinner Friday night. I feel like W and I are in a good place, making an effort to see each other a bit more often than we have in the past. It’s so nice not to have to go through those frustrated times when we’re overdue for a visit. I got home last night, in time to squeeze in a little me time. What a perfect weekend—W time, me time, and family time.

Me time today includes going to the gym as soon as I’m done writing, then I’ll have mimosas and a nice breakfast and my weekly phone call with my friend D. I’m making the salad for my mom today--mesclun mix with craisins, blue cheese, ultra thin red onions, candied pecans and balsamic vinaigrette. (You should see the size of the bag of mesclun mix got at the market—for 3 dollars!)—but that won’t be a big deal since there’s no cooking involved. Everyone is expected at 3, so I’ll probably get there at 2 to help out.

I hope you enjoy your day. Hello to everyone. (And let’s talk soon!)

Love you,
Barb