Another whirlwind weekend! Woot! Woot!

What a great weekend - I feel like I was immersed and drowned in love and friendship!

My bff Donna hosted a girls' gathering Friday night, and there my best friends were: sitting cross-legged on couches with a bit of food and plenty of wine. There is such depth of conversation and laughter when women who have known each other for decades relax in each other's company. Many of us were young mothers, or younger mothers, when we first met and now, all our children are grown and gone. Graduations have been held. Weddings celebrated. Grandchildren adored.

When we gather, we don't have to explain ourselves. Our history is a shared one. We have cried together, laughed as one, and as the years rolled by, almost became one. One unit: the Goddesses. When my children were little, there was a list of the Goddesses and their phone numbers on the fridge - they were instructed to call any one of them if they couldn't find me. What better example of total trust and faith is there than to hand over your childrens' well being to another woman?

We stayed too long and talked too late...but it was wonderfully spectacular.

But the joy and laughter wasn't over - not by a long shot. On Saturday morning, three of us headed out to Belfast for a bit of retail therapy and art appreciation....that was after a fabulous pedicure early Saturday (that was sort of ruined when the pedicurist talked all about politics when all I wanted was to loll my head back and revel in the feeling of the massage, whirlpool and lotions)..... Lots of art and beautiful things at Belfast and a lovely lunch.

Saturday night we celebrated a 25th anniversary at a local golf course clubhouse....good stories around the table with true friends. I got to see LOTS of people that I haven't seen in months and even learned there are exploding lakes in Cameroon, Africa. (WHO KNEW??)
Sunday morning Donna treated me with homemade, steaming popovers with raspberry jam...how lovely is that! And after church, my dear friends the Burgesses gave me all the innards to a piano: a bucket of ivory and ebony keys and the wonderful hammers and wires and STUFF - I can't imagine the assemblage art I can make with this!!! YAHOO!!! The whole weekend was topped off with a great visit with my son, daughter-in-law and baby Karlin (who is trying to sit up all by himself already!!)
The usually boring ride home along Route 9 was filled with thoughts of art and those piano guts: ideas are swirling, fueled by some fabulous pieces I saw recently at the Bangor Art Museum. I can't wait to get started...

So, back to reality today but carrying a bit of that cloud of love with me. Thank you my friends, for filling my heart and spirit and letting me know - with words and hugs and conversation and laughter and buckets of piano innards - that you care about me. Because I sure care about you. Margaret said Sunday morning that we don't say it often enough - so here, to you, my dearest ones: I LOVE YOU!