Circling the Wagons

My wagons may not be circled yet, but they no longer careening amok either. At the very least, they have been reigned in and are being nudged toward their appropriate positions. I managed to get some gardening done, but the way that gardens gallop apace, they beckon once again: to be both deadheaded and weeded. But my XHTML lessons are done and posted, and so are the wedding photos. I am not yet close to printing the photos, but there are a bunch posted on my web site for all interested parties to view. Printing can take place at a fairly leisurely pace, I would think.

Once I got into the rhythm of working with the photos, I really enjoyed the task. It was such a fine wedding on such a glorious day that, as I worked with the pictures, I sometimes found myself being touched by emotion: by the photo of Shauna on my arm as we neared the altar; and, the one of traditional father-daughter dance.

There have been a number of passages in the past few years: both of my parents passed away; I retired; and, my eldest daughter got engaged and married. None of these passages were inappropriate. First: my parents were both old and had lived full lives. Second: retirement has been a joyful experience for me; I can’'t imagine why it isn’'t that way for everyone. There is so much to do, so much to experience that I can’t get to it all. Third: Butterfly is mature and responsible enough that I feel no pangs of apprehension. It helps that she chose a peach of a guy to share her life with; it must be difficult for parents when their children marry young to partners who are not everything that one could wish them to be. It must also be difficult to lose parents or other loved ones prematurely or to lose a job when you are not prepared — when it is some else who determines your destiny.

So, I sit here on the final day of June, with Wimbledon playing on the television. For so many years, it was Wimbledon that marked my first relaxing summer weekend after another tiring year in the classroom. Now, with my wagons assuming some form of control, I am relaxed once again and looking forward to the championship weekend when I shall get into the spirit of the tournament and consume strawberries (and maybe cream) for Breakfast at Wimbledon. Maybe my wagons are circled after all.