Parting - Emotional Smorgasbord

Variety of Grasses Harvested for Display in Vase

Every fall Inge harvests a bounty of grasses from our land, Die Manchmal Gruene Weide, that she places artfully in vases around the house. There is a joy at having watched them grow and admiring their beauty at home, and a sadness that their destiny is not re-seeding the pasture.

Friday morning we too traveled the emotional smorgasbord of parting with loved family members. Melissa and her beau, Christian, and Janice and Stephen, departed after two weeks of quality family time. Even though we maintain contact with our distant children via that awesome tool, Skype, video chatting is not the same as being in the presence of family. So our two weeks with daughters and their boyfriends was time well spent. And when we shepherded Melissa and Christian through their airport check-in, Inge's tears flowed as always. It was a sad time.

Yet, now that Inge and I have been "empty-nesters" for a few years, there is a sense of relief at their parting because we get our day-to-day relatively stress free routine back. Life returns to normal and our worries abate to standard work and life things. The infrequent nature of our daughter's visits means we must prepare the house and itinerary to ensure smooth and joyful time spent together, and the preparation leading to, and the time spent with them while here results in abnormal stress. Any stress we endure, though, is overcome by the great joy at being in their presence and sharing the love of serving them while here.

And now, the routine starts again. Monday brings back the Kettlebell strength session, Tuesday swings and the first Turkish Get Ups in two weeks. Time to get back on track so my before and after photos next month show continuing progress towards the goal of flatter abs and better physique.