And so it begins
Sunday November 18th 2012, 10:23 pm
Filed under: Family,Friends,Wildlife

A certain daughter of mine who took ballroom dancing in college (and who, unlike me, is quite good at that sort of thing) cracked up when I pointed out this comic. Heh.

Meantime. A follow-up re the peregrines: Haya fledged from the bridge between Oakland and Alameda a year and a half ago and was later found shot. She has had three surgeries and been through long, long training and rehab–and they are preparing to release her! She has healed and her flights have become strong now; they’d been afraid the day would never come, but it has. Very cool what good people can do.

And…

Years ago, I saw the hearse. It was parked across the street as I came home, not your usual suburban-neighborhood sight. Later that day, I saw the college-age son, who was so very grateful at having someone to talk to at his mom’s passing from cancer.

His dad remarried a couple years later and moved away–but he did not sell that house. A series of renters came and went, and after the moving vans would leave, the dad and son would be back and working around the place for a day or so. They kept it looking as beautiful as his mother had left it. Rose trees blooming in the front.

A new family’s little toddler grew into early school age there–but again, the moving van came just a few days ago.

And yet somehow it surprised me to see him across the street this afternoon, and it took me just a moment to be sure it really was him. He was as glad to see me as I was to see him–and I saw in his face what is always clearly there after each gap in time, an, Oh good, you’re still… The lupus and Crohn’s didn’t… Such joy in his face.

Life IS good.

The little eight-year-old boy who moved into that house all those years ago is now a 30-something good man with a fiancee and a life to begin. In the home where the ’89 Loma Prieta quake swept him clear out of the pool and splashed him onto the ground. A house with stories for him to tell their future children, of his mother’s roses, of her presence.

I look forward to pointing out the Cooper’s hawk for them. And maybe even an eight-octave zone-tailed. And hand in hand with their little ones someday, klutzy-footed and all, I shall dance.


9 Comments so far
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So. Cool. (Just channel your inner Billy Preston: http://youtu.be/ghj5V5cUo1s)

Comment by Lynn 11.19.12 @ 5:22 am

I know how happy he is to be coming home and to see you out and about, too.

Comment by Sherry in Idaho 11.19.12 @ 8:06 am

Hooray for homecomings and “new” neighbors!

Comment by Channon 11.19.12 @ 8:56 am

Round and round we go, and sometimes familiar faces show up. That is GOOD news.

And speaking of good news, this fits right in with that cartoon. Once a month at Avenidas we have an hour called The Good News Hour, and they have me leading it. So I clip items out of the paper, and the end of this one fits that part of your blog:

“She recommends that more young males consider visiting the studio. “Guys think,’ Oh, that’s a girl thing; I’d never do that.’ But girls actually think it’s pretty cool when they find a guy who knows how to dance.”

I’ll email you the entire article.

Comment by Don Meyer 11.19.12 @ 10:10 am

Yay! So very cool to get to see him grown up. And I’m sure there’ll be hawks & dancing & fun in the future. Very good news. Hope you are continuing to feel stronger.

Comment by DebbieR 11.19.12 @ 4:02 pm

Lovely new-old neighbors :-}

Comment by Diana Troldahl 11.19.12 @ 6:06 pm

What a nice circle they danced!

Comment by twinsetellen 11.19.12 @ 6:11 pm

Round and round life goes. I’m so happy you both had a great moment together! 🙂

Comment by Suzanne from Montreal 11.19.12 @ 7:17 pm

I’m glad you saw the update on Haya – I wanted to point that out to you. It’s been an amazing journey for all involved in her rehabilitation.

Comment by Deb 11.19.12 @ 11:49 pm



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