Ithaca

The Return of Odysseus, Claude Lorrain, 1644

    At my last farewell party , before my husband and I moved to El Paso (800 miles from our home),I received a very special gift from my dear friend Lina.   That night I was saying goodby for a time to many beloved friends. Many of us taught together, sat in stands together, hostessed parties together and did all of the wonderful things that women do who live in each other's lives.   That evening at home, I opened Lina's gift, and it took my breath away.   She had given me a framed copy of Ithaca by C.P. Cavafy. 
For the first 14 years of my 32 year career of teaching high school English, I had taught and tap danced my heart out trying to convey the magnitude of Odysseus's journey in Homer's epic poem The Odyssey.
This time, however, the message was for me.
And it begins...
" As you set out for Ithaka hope your road is a long one, full of adventure, full of discovery."
And so in the midst of living a very happy and fulfilling life , surrounded by all that is familiar and loving,  we really can jump if we need to.

And so I am here to report that once the moving van arrived in El Paso, and we had not found a home to buy as yet, you really can move everything you own into storage.   You can even survive the dismantling of your garden by giving pieces of it to your friends Anna and Celeste,who are master gardeners. My plants are smiling right now. And when that becomes too hard , you can ask the movers to please try and fit pieces of that garden that gave you such pleasure into the truck. And they did.

And when the search for a new home continues 4 weeks later, you can enjoy the gracious home of your daughter and son in law and their generosity and love on your grandsons, and cook a hot breakfast every morning- leaning on the island with a cup of coffee watching them enjoy it- as the adventure unfolds.
And 'hope dear friends that your road is a long one full of adventure , full of discovery'.   (a full version of Ithaca is below.) ********  

 Please visit these wonderful friends and bloggers.  They are all so talented and smart and full of good ideas.   Cottage at the Crossroads Garden Up Green Patina and Paint Poofing the Pillows The Purple Hydrangea The Queen in Between To Work With My Hands White Spray Paint  

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