Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Cara

 

She is many things: A new wife, married not even six months, newly arrived in the place that she will (for now) belong, a new employee in a job that she never expected to be considered for, but got anyway...

...but 31 years ago, she was new to this world. She was new to me. At 4:15 AM I was holding her for the first time and marveling in her perfect newness. 

She is beloved: By her husband, by the students she left behind in other jobs, by her darn Afghan street cat who has seen more countries than most people. 

Across the great pond, I think of her on her birthday. Our plan was to go to Georgia or Romania to spend her 30th birthday with her. She talked us into waiting until later in the spring, when the weather was not so dicey. 

I will always regret missing that opportunity. We could not have predicted the pandemic. 

Another birthday clicks by and we are apart. Make no mistake, I am happy at her happiness in her new life, Still, I hope she thinks her old one a little. I marveled at her perfection when I held her the first time. 31 years later, I marvel still. 

17 comments:

  1. Happy Birthday to Cara. I'm sorry you missed out on that trip with her, but I'm hopeful things will look better next year.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am sure she is approaching the age where you start to fondly remember things from your childhood, along with the people with you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Something you cannot alter, time progressing. Happy Birthday to Cara. And for that longing all mothers feel when their children grow up and make their own lives happily, you have done a good job.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I know that it can be hard being apart from loved ones, especially during difficult times, but the eventual reunion will be so much sweeter.
    By the way, I hope you are feeling better now?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Happy Birthday to Cara...and a big hug to you.
    Missing all these family celebrations does hurt

    ReplyDelete
  6. Happy birthday Cara. I'm sure your trip will go ahead at sometime in the future and it will be even more loved and appreciated when you all get through this horrible time.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Still tired, still dragging, sore throat and headache better. No fever. No matter how much sleep I get, I have the sneaking suspicion that I would still want another hour.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Happy Birthday to Cara! My daughter is also called Cara and is unexpectedly back home with us after getting stranded by our latest UK lockdown. We hadn't seen her for a year, so it was rather a nice surprise for our family to be complete again, at least temporarily. I hope you get to see your Cara again very soon. X

    ReplyDelete
  9. That last paragraph is beautiful Debby. I hope Cara reads your blogs?

    ReplyDelete
  10. It is frustrating to be separated from loved ones for so long. I feel the same way. Hopefully we'll be out of these woods before the NEXT birthday rolls around!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I hope your daughter has a beautiful birthday celebration. I hope my daughter will roam around this planet giving me excused to go visit her when not in a pandemic. My parents wished for me the same thing but I got as far as Minnesota before turning back. I did marry someone from another country eventually so that helped curb their exotic wishes for me.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I feel your pain. My youngest son is in Australia and we were supposed to visit him next month. We were there two years ago for his birthday and I'd hoped to be there for it again this year. Thank goodness for Whatsapp video calls I say. xx

    ReplyDelete
  13. Happy Belated Birthday to Cara... and congrats to her for following her Dreams and her Heart in Life. I hear your Pride of what a wonderful young Adult she's become mixed with Pain of the Missing of her.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Happy Birthday a day late to Cara! It's difficult to be so far away. Both my daughters have lived on other continents. (one in Korea and one in Senegal) The time zones were also an issue for calling or skyping. Now they're only a couple thousand miles away, but I still can't get to them.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Happy birthday, Cara... one day late.

    ReplyDelete

I'm glad you're here!

Weary

I am sure that everyone has seen the video of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. I lived in Baltimore for a couple years while my...