The day began with an off-schedule gathing for HYC in order to bid farewell to Laura before leaving today to return to Mt Vernon, Washington. We had the largest number of guests ever. Six. It was a grand gathering and her "parting comment" was a deeply sincere, reflective and honest expression of gratitude for her brother and his family and friends for all of the welcoming support through the death of her husband. I am grateful to have played a role in this. I read the first chapter of the book in full to Jennifer and she loved it. In a genuine way, not in a bias'd way. It was encouraging as hell. Chapter two is under way and shaping up. My adaptation of the "Bullet Journal" method is a bit more challenging than I thought, or maybe the challenge is in breaking old habits and turning to technology by default. Still, I am remaining focused and keeping on point. Maybe, like life, that's all we can or ever do … keep working at something not as an accomplishment but as an ongoing maintenance effort. Lauren heard back from Barbara and is feeling angry, justifiably, and what appears to be dismissive responses. Its hard to imaging how that might feel to her. I an so proud of her character. She said today that the "reveal" to her mom's family about her mom would take away from Linda's lifelong aspiration to have had a family. So true. How very astute, insightful and tender of her to give it that kind of consideration. Wow. she also commented how the term "adult" should be tied to emotional maturity and not to physical age. Then to close off the day it appears that a possible relationship may be stalling or pausing for Tommy. He's handling it quite well. I have only my dusty faded 70's-era recollections of the heartache and struggles with the early years of dating to relate to. That seems so long ago now, yet for him it's all happening. Now. Forty-five years of life experience has to start somewhere.
