Sundays with Marion & Jude

Marion and Jude have been here in Florida since the first of the year, living just 3 miles from us. We've spent lots of quality time with them, primarily at the beach or sharing a meal. Without fail, we have dined together every Sunday, traditional family dinners. Even Fran joined us during a short late January visit. I'm not looking forward to Sunday, March 1; the day after M & J head north for home. I'm sure we'll still eat, but with a little less laughter, a little less enthusiasm.

We have shared so much more than just bright sun and delicious food. We shared comaraderie, condolences, secrets. We shared memories. We made memories.

M & J even shared family and friends; we dined with Jude's nephew Michael, and his friend Ron.

We traveled to Bradenton to enjoy the hospitality of their friends Jim and Jeannie, Charlie and another Ron.

It was on our way home from that visit that I heard a most poignant version of one of my favorite songs. Simon & Garfunkel were singing "Bridge Over Troubled Waters," accompanied by the whispery and slightly slurred voices of a sleepy Marion & Jude.

I don't mean to suggest that there are any troubled waters here; there is no 'woe' in me. Still Marion and Jude have provided a bridge for us as we transition to the life of snowbirds. We are used to a steady stream of family members in our daily lives in New Milford, so it has been comforting to have loving family members so close by.

Upon returning to New Milford in a couple of months, we will quickly revel in the joys of family once again. But I will remind myself that Long Beach is not that far away. (And neither is Boston.) I look forward to many joyous occasions in the company of my sisters, Fran and Marion, and my brother, Jude. My siblings, my blessings.