It was not the news that wanted; however, it was not a shock. The circumstances dicated long ago that this would be a possibility. As my ears received the words, I just lay there abosorbing what I already knew. My cherished form of physical activity would have to diminish from my life. It simply does not compliment my body structure. Maybe I should light a candle for the predicament of loss.
Since it was already in the schedule, I drove to my family home to visit my mother. Upon arrival, she immediately expressed her dismay about my outfit. She wanted to take me to a restaurant and shorts would not be appropriate;however, I had jeans in my car. After changing, she gave me a beautiful scarf to keep myself warm. It was so very beautiful. Its far exceeded the beauty of any of the scarves in my vast collection which is what I shared with her. Her remark reminded me that she does enjoy shopping a great deal. Before my eyes blinked, there was a car in front of the house being driven by a vaguely familiar individual. My mother climbed inside. I soon followed.
It did not take me long to realize that I was in the company of the Saturday crew that spends time with my mother every single Saturday come rain or shine. She is often out of reach because they are at breakfast or in Ross. Perhaps a party or random church function. The thick Patios ran the length of the car as my body settled into the back seat. My mother soon inquired about the things in my ear.
A stop was made at a home somewhere on the east side of US1. My mother and her friend ventured into the house while I stayed behind in the car to tinker with my cell phone. A nice woman called to me from the house, and my hand greeted her in salutation. She soon followed the two to other women back to the car where she eagerly greeted me again. The gold Star of David caught my attention and prompted me to hop out of the car.
She embraced me with such warmth and joy. I felt quite comfortable asking her about her religious jewelry. It wasn’t long before my reportoire of Jewish music was being shared with her. A smile crossed my face as I returned to the car to be whisked away to yet another location.
The chatter of my mother with her friend was no different from that of teenage girls except for perhaps the content. Fiery outbursts of opinions mixed with laughter made for such an enjoyable scene to observe. Dinner was lovely. Words never escaped my mouth for fear that the scene would be interrupted. I ate entirely too much food and felt fat and happy in this beautiful place. The whole thing reminded me that a lot of what I do is because of the way my mother lives her life. She enjoys the company of her friends and does not stay under the shadow of my father. She is involved in so much during her retirement that it is often difficult to reach her because she is simply doing something for herself in her spare time. In retrospect, her life was filled with making sure that I was a priority. Its nice to see her enjoying things for herself at this stage of the game. I kept admiring her orange outfit that was no doubt purchased on one of those shopping excursions with her friends.
While driving home, my mind wondered out how fortunate I was to be included in such female bonding. My mother included me in her Circle of Sisterhood. Each woman was interesting with an island zest. My presence was welcomed and given a front seat to enjoy and partake in the fun. This is how it should be amongst all women. These are the experiences that shall propel me as progress continues on the Circle of Sisterhood. Why there is a circle this coming Sunday and new women are expected to attend for the Super Moon energy boost. Oh the time we shall have.