I jumped out of my car at the entrance of the Eau Resort in Manalapan to meet my children and as the glass doors opened, standing there were Blake and Elizabeth! I put my arms around both of them, crying tears of joy! I was so overwhelmed to see them after weeks of anticipating our family reunion.
The sunny skies welcomed my family as I hugged and kissed all 12 of them. It felt like I hadn’t seen them in years!
I think with the unrest in the world, I appreciated the time to say “I love you” and squeeze them tightly.
I read an article in the Wall Street Journal about people who have lived long, fulfilling lives, most over 100 years old. It struck me when one of the octogenarians said she’s lived her life with three mantras: don’t stay angry, don’t hate and don’t envy. It seems so basic, so I shared these inspirational thoughts with my children to think about because it’s a philosophy of life that can be learned — but I think it’s genetic, too.
My late husband had a memory that never forgot anyone who offended him; I’m the opposite. I forget so I don’t stay angry.
Having spent a week with my children and grandchildren, it’s fascinating to see their different personalities. What made my heart soar was to see how sweet and caring they are with each other.
I adore seeing big 17-year-old Blake being so kind to little, gorgeous and self-assured 7-year-old Sloane. Age was no barrier to their joy with each other.
We celebrated Jonah’s 15th birthday; he is as tall as Blake and hopes to be a football star. It scares me because he’s fearless and loves the contact sport, but I believe that he must follow his dream and all I can do is say prayers for his safety!
Addy loves horses, so I asked my friend Meg Weinberger, who is running, for the first time, for State House in Florida’s District 94, if we could visit her 15-acre farm in Palm Beach Gardens, where she rescues animals through her Rescue Life Foundation.
Her children are grown and she decided to bring her fight for protecting animals to the political arena, where she believes she can be effective. Although she has a primary, I hope she will win because I believe she will be a true “public servant” for her community.
We delightedly visited her rescue farm filled with horses, two zebras, a beloved pet goose, swans, alpacas, a cow, a bull and donkeys, one of whom had the same name as Addy’s dog Chewy. Who heard of a pet goose?!
The week was filled with memorable moments and one of my favorite’s was our rainy day activity of bowling in Boca Raton, about 40 minutes from where we were staying. Bowlero is a state-of-the-art bowling alley with dozens of lanes and is the first place where I saw “fenders” along both sides of the alley. It really doubled the fun for us because when the ball would usually go in the gutter, it bounced off the rail and became a knock hockey kind of game.
We played the girls against the boys and we laughed and exchanged high-fives with each other. What a great way to spend a rainy day! Thanks to my newest associate publisher Dawn Iseson, who recommended Bowlero as a rainy day activity. Perfect!
What a wonderful week I had, with tears of joy beginning the week followed by tears of sadness when it was time for my family to leave.
Love to you, my dear readers. Until next time!
