Make Lemonade

The number of people at Pop's viewing was overwhelming. You realize how far and wide a single person's influence can spread when the ladies who checked him out at the Giant grocery store find out about his death and come to pay their respects. His funeral service, which was put together by his daughters, was a really nice tribute to his life and his memory.

Thursday morning, Billy, Patti, Chuck, Brian and I got in the car to head up to Michigan for Hernie and Crystal's wedding. Before the wedding, Billy and I got a chance to meet up with my college roommate, Jolene, and her almost 3 year old son, Mason. I had never met him before, and it was fun to catch up with Jo, but it was even better to see that she is happy and healthy in her life as a mom. Watching a little kid dancing around inside the Applebee's has a way of reminding you that life goes on.

Hernie and Crystal's wedding was nice. I was glad we were able to make it up there to celebrate the occasion with them. Billy and I were happy to see our college friend, Nick, and his new wife, Amber. We had a great time at their wedding in July, and it was fun to have a chance to spend some time with them at this wedding. Seeing old friends and picking up where you left off also has a way of reminding you that life goes on.

Returning home meant coming to terms with how far I had fallen behind in the past week. Usually, realizing that there is no possible way to complete everything I planned to accomplish leaves me in a frenzy. But today, I've decided that it's not worth it. I enjoyed the time I spent with Billy's family this past week. Today, instead of reading aesthetic theory, I worked on getting caught up by reading Willa Cather. Because it's true-- literature is where I go. But I don't wish I had spent more time this week preparing for tomorrow night's class. I need to remind myself more often that grad school is not my life, but is only a part of my life. This week, it was the least important part. This week, my Maryland family and I needed to help each other make lemonade together.

(The book referenced in the title is Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff, a young adult novel about the things a teenage girl learns about life while trying to earn enough money to go to college.)