Angelina's Garden

It’s good to be back.

It’s been way too long! I’ve missed writing and interacting with all of you in this space.

I’m naming this post Reunion because I’ve been away and now I’m back with the fold. It feels really good to be back.

Here’s what’s been going on…

I’ve been teaching three high school classes, renovating a house with my son, involved at our parish, homeschooling my eighth grader, writing for Engage Orthodoxy and cooking for five big people. And, all of this during a pandemic with three of my kids still at home. At some point, I went into survival mode and had to take a pause on the creative side of my life. I hated to do it, but realistically something had to give somewhere.

The good news is that school is over, we finished the renovation and sold our house, my 21 year old went back to school and found an apartment with some buddies near campus and my youngest has completed 8th grade. And, it’s summer!

In the midst of it all, we’ve had some pretty exciting events happening at our house. With my trusty camera and iPhone, I’ve been capturing these moments. Over the next couple of weeks, I’m hoping to bring you up to speed with all the wonderful happenings. We’ve adopted a dog, finished Lent, celebrated Pascha, had Corona, hosted three big events, graduated a son from high school and watched a lot of baseball, among other things.

For this Reunion post, I’ve decided to back up to early April.

During spring break, we stayed at my childhood home on the marsh in North Florida. Without wifi or any looming school deadlines, a grandparent’s home can be pretty interesting. It was here that Gabe went into the shed and found my mom’s old cast net. He was after bait and the low tide was just perfect for a some practice rounds of throwing and hopefully catching some small bait fish.

I loved watching Gabe, now 14, mastering this coastal skill. Harkening back to 2016, I wrote here about this same boy who had just picked up his first cast net, learning on the beach with dad at his side.

Now, he’s a master caster. This is so much fun to see as a cheerleader mom on the sidelines. It is also a reminder that these boys grow so fast and the time we have with them is fleeting. As they begin their adventures, they want you with them as back up. Then, all of a sudden one day, they just don’t need you anymore and that’s basically how you know you’ve done your job. It’s a weird, joyful mess of a time adjusting to that reality. But, I’m thankful to be right here cheering and letting go all at the same time.

Thank you for reuniting with me again in this adventure life we’re all living. Let’s keep the reunion going.