A Blessing, A Graduation and Independence

I've found it hard to slow down - the first half of this year was a blur of deadlines, doctor visits, exams and decisions. I thought that rest would come in early June with the New York State 8th grade Science exam, but that didn't happen. In June, my son graduated from middle school and we're now staring down Homer's Iliad - his high school summer reading assignment: graduation, big time. 

I've realized that I don't have an inexhaustible supply of energy, and like most things associated with the aging process, that takes some accepting.I think I'm angry about the whole thing, but I'm trying to be less so - I just don't have the energy. Serenity now. 

Last week, City Island's fleet of boats was blessed and turned onto the high seas. It was an intimate little ceremony attended by maybe thirty people including my family of four. We were treated to a parade of watercraft of all sizes: yachts to jet skis to canoes. Each was blessed by the three ministers, saluted by the white-clad honor guard, then waved along by our small crowd of onlookers.

Then there was the Fourth of July - a lazy day on which I painted my new birdhouse - a duplex! It was just the kind of low-stakes activity I needed. I painted the whole thing white, then used painter's tape to prepare it for the green trim. It took time... hours in fact. Nothing great was accomplished in the world of wood and paint - but there was rest, and that was a blessing.
Here's another snapshot of the renku which Daniela and I worked on last year. 
 

#11 L (6.15.11)

Morning, morning –

it always comes

is always coming.

#12 D (6.27.11)

Cap, gown, diploma—

My son! A fine young man!

Just born yesterday…

#12 L (7.22.11)

Summer haze:
new graduates toss and scatter

old ones stoop and gather.

Photos: Mine