For years I kept journals -- in composition, spiral bound, and French graph paper books. This blog is an attempt to get back to writing and documenting the world around me using photos, newspaper headlines, and other articles.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Happy 4th!

Happy 4th!  Last night I watched the Portsmouth fireworks from a corner office at work.  I heard the boom boom sounds and then walked around the outer offices, looking for a window that would give me a view.  Last year on this day I flew back to DC after a long weekend at home.  I’m so thankful that I am not in that city this year considering so many are suffering without power in 100 degree heat after a storm ripped through the area several days ago.  We aren’t going out for fireworks tonight – we’ll just catch them on TV.
Yesterday Selim asked me if Nan was coming to the house as usual on Wednesday.  I told him,
     “No.  Since the retreat is happening at the Ashram and I don’t have to work, she isn’t going to come over.”
     “You mean the big retreat?  Where they eat under the tent?” 
     “Yes.”
     “We have to go Mom.  If they are eating under the tent, then I should be there.  If I don’t show up, Jacob will miss me.”
     “You mean you want to eat under the tent and you miss Jacob.”
     “Yeah.”
So this morning we slept in until 7:21 and then packed up.  My goal was to leave by 10:00 so that we would make it for lunch.  We scooted out early and Selim made it in time for part of children’s Satsang and I made it into the hall for a meditation sitting.  I managed to stay awake since I had consumed a medium ice coffee on the drive over and still felt the caffeine.  And then we ate lunch -- paella, green salad and tomatoes, cuke and onion salad with feta cheese and toasted French bread.  Yum!
At 2:00 Mom, Robert and I went up to Susan and Fletcher’s to attend the wedding of Jonas and Lisa.  I don’t think it was a spur of the moment type of wedding, but I don’t think it had been planned months in advance either.  It was a small yet special gathering.  Susan had made beautiful flower arrangements from her garden and each flower had specific meaning.  I appreciated hearing the Russell’s marriage ceremony.  There was the Lord’s Prayer, guidance from the Masters, a poem by Rumi and another by Blake.  Put together – it was a sweet reminder on how to be successful in marriage. 


 



After the ceremony, we toasted with sparkling juice and enjoyed carrot cake.  I was able to catch up with people that I haven’t seen in a while and that was nice.  The event ended in time for me to help out preparing the retreat tea.  I started on the fruit salad detail.  How many years have I cut up peaches for fruit salad?  Since I was 10?  I love the rhythm of the familiar.  Selim and Jacob came by at the end and helped carry the food up to the Langar tent.  I'm so pleased that he enjoys helping.  It doesn't hurt that he wanted to eat the cake and watermelon afterwards!







To top off the sweet day, I got to reconnect with Samantha and Claudia.  Even though we didn’t spend too much time together when we were little, we have managed to keep our friendship alive by seeing each other once every few years. It is special to still have a deep connection with these women after all these years.  Amazing really, that we spent no more than a year or two at elementary school together, yet we feel so comfortable with each other as adults.  I have been lucky this summer in that I have been able to visit with childhood friends, first Mira and Veera and now Sam and Claudia. 





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