A Night With the 82

A lovely June evening and Thai food on Kathy's welcoming deck was where the 82 Moms gathered to have their June closing . Other years we have met at Splash and sat around the table enjoying each others company as we prepare for our summer break. Now meeting once a month at each other's homes does not require a break but we have always had our June night closing, planning to get together again in August at Faye's pool and then begin our rotation again in September. Last night's get together was different and perfect.We met outside socially distancing and following best practices. We talked, caught up , laughed like crazy and allowed the bond we already have to become deeper and more valuable. After hearing an author on CBC's Q program interviewed yesterday I thought of writing a book about a group of mothers who gave birth in 1982. The author spoke of a friendship between two men who meet at a Dublin pub after years apart. I mentioned to the 82 Moms that I might have to write a book entitled 82 Moms. It will be fiction of course but life itself is stranger and more diverse than fiction or fiction mirrors the crazy range of what life throws at us. Last night eight women represented the twenty one children , twenty two grandchildren, the losses, the sorrow and joy, the challenges and triumphs that thirty eight years have delivered us.We shall see if that small seed of an idea grows into a book but either way I am blessed to have the 82 Moms in my life. Such support and camaraderie is a gift beyond measure.( the food is always good too) Each one of us faces challenges in the summer months ahead as well as many blessings and joys to embrace. Each one of us takes our own strength and resilience into the coming months but also takes the strength and support the group extends. We will meet again at poolside and reflect on the days that unfolded , the wins and the failures , the joys and the sorrows this life provides.And Ellen THANKYOU. You did not have to do that!