As the Summer season was fading away I had an opportunity to ponder on that half-way point not only of the year but also of my life. I think it is sinking in that I might actually be living my best life ever.
My niece Ariana drove up from Miami to visit with me and that simply gives me pause. First to realize how special she is to want to spend time with me, when usually most young adults under they age of 30 are out having fun with people their own age (or at least I hope they are)… and second she is grown! like, driving 4 hours to see me!
< Ariana
I marvel at how soft transitions occcurs… a process so seamless.
It starts first as simple as a visit to aunt’s house and before you know it she’s relocating miles away from home and no big deal!
Because I feel that my garden is the most magical place, I don’t have a pull to leave my home… and Ariana’s visit gives me an opportunity to experience our local area through her eyes. I took her to Cape Canaveral Beach and enjoyed both the conservatory inter-coastal side as well and the sand and sun on the beach side.
If you are looking for a beach that is not crowded… this place is for you.
If they are getting older, gives reason that I'm getting older too.
Nature is so kind… she gently takes us from youth to old age. It’s life that fools us into thinking we have somewhere to go. The place is always: Here and Now.
Making the most of Ariana’s visit and some free time Geordan was able to muster, we visited Blue Spring State Park in DeBarry – Florida. This park is known for manatees from mid-November through March… so no manatee sightings during this visit.
Fortunately for
us the water was invigorating… which is another way to say – it was cold!
Cold enough to activate our appetite and in search of a place that would serve the option of either breakfast or lunch… KeKe’s offered just the kind of food that these two enjoy. Soon enough Geordan took the opportunity to enrich our minds on the finer points of music theory 😂🎵
Before Ariana’s trip back home, we headed into DeLand Mainstreet for some window shopping and chocolates.
If they are getting older, gives reason that I'm getting older too.
All this post was really to get right here… to say that George and I have become empty nesters. Even though Geordan moved out of our home over 4 years ago… right down the street to his own place. To me (perhaps to both of us) Geordan felt like he was still here. Despite his heavy schedule it was the idea that he was within reach.
Daytona Beach
He told us of his plans of continuing on in higher education in pursuit of his Doctorates degree in the music program which would take him out of the state of Florida and up into South Carolina. That day had come… and as the Summer was ending he requested us as a family to see the sunrise at the beach.
Traditionally when we do beach sunrise I bake ‘arepa’ – a recipe from the Dominican Republic and goes well with coffee – which I brewed and kept warm in our thermos.
It was so sweet to see father and son walking towards the ocean as the waves gently beckoned them in and the majestic sun rising over the horizon above them. A day that I will cherish… despite that soon after our little boy would be miles away … no longer within reach.
Geordan crammed in all his instruments and as much as he could of his treasured possessions and bid farewell as he prepared to turn the page on a new chapter… and all the while in my heart I prayed (and pray) that God keep him safe.
… and that my friend, is how soft transitions happen in our lives. We look back and simply see a life happening yet within every here and now exist a lifetime.
