This morning started with an emergency... a dead coffee pot. Luckily, the crisis was averted by a quick run to Caribou, and now Dan and I can commence with our day's work.
We had a lovely holiday weekend spent with family and friends. First, Grandma and Papa Harkins spent some time here. We golfed and went out in downtown Roch for dinner, and even took in the fireworks from a friend's deck high above the city. Did I mention that those friends weren't even home? Might have been a little presumptuous of us, but their house had the best view, and we now try to live in the moment... just to be clear, we did ask them if we could use their deck. We're not that presumptuous!
Saturday, we hit up some other friends for boating on Lake Pepin and a barbecue at their condo. Erin and Dan tried wake boarding. I stuck to my guns and continued to be a chicken. Erin got to hang out with her buddy Ariana and catch up on life. Good stuff.
Erin has a busy week ahead - golf tournament today, then volleyball open gyms the rest of the week. Wednesday, I am not available to drive her around, so she is going to get where she needs to go on her bike. She has been using her bike as a mode of transportation to visit friends without relying on me to drive her around. I think she likes the independence and freedom. At 13, you don't want your parents to know everything...
This week, I am adding a couple new projects to my web consulting work. I'm excited to branch out even more into some other areas. And, I have to admit, it is nice to have a paycheck coming in that I earned. Say what you want about the value of being a stay at home mom - something I would never give back - but earning a little money is nice. As I told Dan, now I have my money and we have your money!
In all seriousness, life is good at Casa O'Hara. We are all enjoying our summer. We are all grateful for the friends and family who continue to support us. We've got fundraising work ahead in the next two weeks in preparation for the Mayo Girls Golf Swings for Shannon tournament. The list of volunteers continues to grow as people want to help the cause. Amazing.
We continue to feel lucky in so many ways. It's still hard to reconcile sometimes, but our lives are rich and full and each day we learn a little more about carrying on without Shannon. I think we surprise ourselves sometimes. How can we be happy? How is that possible after losing her? But, it is true that you compensate and carry on and find meaning, and even joy, in the life that you have now. We don't forget, but we do go forward.
I know I've shared this quote before, but it seems appropriate to do so again:
"You will lose someone you can't live without, and your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of your beloved. But this is also the good news. They live forever in your broken heart that doesn't seal back up. And you come through. It's like having a broken leg that never heals perfectly - that still hurts when the weather gets cold, but you learn to dance with the limp." - Anne Lamott
