Is there such thing as too much of a good thing? Honestly don’t mean to be ungrateful or look a gift horse, etc, etc . . . but I’m actually ready to get back to work. After our open mic last night, it just made me feel a bit stir crazy and really want to get back on the road. We still have a couple more days here before we head north to East Aurora (near Buffalo) to do a house concert (thank you, Margaret) and play a coffeehouse (thank you again, Margaret), so I’m going to have to find things to do. There are a ton of things, don’t get me wrong, but too much time communicating with the swaying trees, frolicking deer, chirpy bats, and the whispering wind, has started to clear my mind, making room for a lot of negativity and antsy-ness. I think it may be different if the work was all done. But we’re not even half way through and I’m ready to get moving!
Anyway, all that said, today was actually a really nice day. We had made plans with Jared’s grandfather, Tommy, to go visit him for the afternoon. He has a pool, so it was an easy sell for Rudy. Plus, Rudy genuinely loves Tommy and his caregiver, Robin, and so we were all looking forward to it. The whole time we’ve been out here, the loss of Jared’s grandmother Momo has been palpable, but the family has tried to make the best of it and keep good face. But this was the first major holiday without her, and everyone is handling it a bit differently. Whatever the grieving process is for each individual, I can’t possibly say or know. But the overall feeling of something missing is very real, and Rudy tunes into that almost immediately. We were supposed to get going by about 10:30, but right before we left, Rudy said, “Wait! I need to draw a picture of Momo so Tommy doesn’t forget her.” It was such a sweet gesture, and set the tone for the day. When we got to Tommy’s place, Rudy said, “Do you miss Momo?” (I love how children just come right out with their inquiries, not concerned with social boundaries or “what’s proper”, they just get right to the heart of the matter) Tommy replied, “Yes Rudy. Very much.” Then, handing Tommy his picture, Rudy said, “Well, ok. Then here. It’s so you can see her and never forget her.” I have never seen Tom Bromeley smile so big. And I could have sworn I saw a small tear get surreptitiously wiped away.
The pool was so much fun and the conversation held in intermittent spaces between cannonballs and call of “Mom, watch this!”. We spent about 4 hours together and then decided to grab dinner up at the “T”, meeting Jared’s aunt Amy also for a bit. When we walked in, Rudy saddled up to the bar and, in true Rudy fashion, before he came to join us at the table, he had acquired a Model T t-shirt and 3 color changing cups. He had Jedi mind control, I’m certain. After dinner, we played a round of mini golf (Jared won . . . weird, right?), and called it a night.
When we got back to the farm, the air was cool enough to spread out a blanket on the soft grass for a couple games of pre-bed “Sorry”. One of Jared’s oldest friends from high school was coming by to visit with him, so Rudy and I headed off to bed before the beer drinking, catching up, and stories of the “old days” started. He came to bed at nearly 2:00 am after a couple beers and numerous laps around the “expressway” with his friend, full of smiles, stories, and a connection that he’s dearly missed over the years.
A full and sweet day of family time that was cherished even more with the recent reminder of how short and precious life is, and how important it is to spend as much time with your loved ones as you can while they’re around.
Glad to see Rudy representing the Hawks.
Go Hawks!