Good Morning

Feb. 11, 2024

Superbowl Sunday. I haven't taken much interest in the game this year. 

Dan is arriving tonight for a one week visit. It's always good to have some time with him and just chat. He's a fine man and I am very proud of him, as I am of all three of my kids.

You always wonder as a parent what influence you have over your kids. And, perhaps, how much influence you want to have over them. Independence is a valuable asset and each person develops it at different rates and in different ways and amounts. To know that one can handle the ups and downs of one's own life makes the path so much easier and more rewarding. Independent people also know how to ask for help, even when they'd rather not.

Robin has been fiercely, almost defiantly,  independent from a rather young age. I think it has served her well, although at times she has suffered the pain of loneliness and despair, as we all do. Independence doesn't mean separation from one's own emotions and challenges.

Melina is getting a taste of indepence right now, as she is living and spending the next semester going to school in Salamanca, Spain. She's only been there a little over a week and has already had to struggle with back pain from a previous injury and a nasty virus of some sort. It's hard for her mom and me to know we can't just drive over to her house and deliver some soup and TLC. But she and her mom talk a lot on WhatsApp. And, she will be for the rest of her life filled with memories of this adventure. 

Travel is an invaluable teacher.