Wedding Times

It's still sort of everything, all the time, but mostly, it's the wedding times. Jeff and Ashlyn are here, along with the cutest baby girl I currently know. The guest space I carved out of the basement is working well. There's still more to do in terms of clearing things out, but I'm really pleased at what we made. I actually feel like I have a legitimate offer to make when people come to visit; an area where they can have some privacy and peace. There's a real bed, a comfy chair and light to read by. It's the best I could do right now, and I think it's enough.

Sara and the Granddarling play on the lawn.

The loading and unloading of this little car was happening
often this week. We cleared out junk and bought pretty
new things to make...

This space in my basement. Fabric on the walls covers the
foil insulation, and carpets, a mirror, and screens make it seem
like a real room. 

Sara and I got our pre-wedding haircuts with this wonderful
friend we've known for 22 years. She was Sara's friend
and staunch protector during her earliest years. 

As I take some time this morning to sit still and think, I'm grateful. At this moment, everything is lovely. Nearly all the pieces are ready for the wedding next week. How they play out is unknown and will be part of the experience. Among the things left to do, none will affect the final outcome, which is that my son will start his new life with his beautiful bride. Whether I have the perfect dress or find enough pots of off-white roses for the tables at the Friday night picnic are not big problems, and it's getting to the point where those are the kinds of things remaining on my to-do list. I've made stunning use of Amazon Prime for everything from a new mattress to tablecloths to bistro lights, and that's been so helpful.

I got a good wakeup call last week as I sat in a clinic at NIH being screened as a study participant. My blood pressure was high enough to exclude me from the study, cause the doctor to use the words "stage 2 Hypertension" and alarm me when I looked at the numbers. I realized that I really needed to let some things go and choose to be calmer and less affected by things outside my control. I know. It sounds so logical, but it's not my best thing. I've actually had, and I say this candidly, with no drama or desire for pity, some fairly significant failures recently,  and have paid the price for them in sadness and regret. I suppose a little scary-high blood pressure doesn't seem so entirely out of the question. The other side of failure is always learning, and, while that does sound hackneyed and like the name of a bad self-help ebook, it's entirely true. I've learned some great lessons recently, and I feel peace in the offing. So I'll focus on this moment. Today is good. The weather is nice, I'm giving a talk at church, my friends are awesome, my family is surrounding me, and all is well. I hope the same for you.

My neighbor's peony. It was stunning. Mine
are not quite blooming yet, but soon. I love
springtime.