Monthly Celebration

The called ID popped onto my TV screen, right as I was watching a truly manly show: "Top 20 Most Violent Police Chases." It was a call from Miami Jewish Home. My brain immediately reminded me that Mom was gone, but my father in law is living there, so I still braced for bad news. Instead, it was one of the lovely Haitian American staff, inviting me to the monthly "Celbration of Life" next week. It turns out that they have monthly memorial services for all the residents that die that month. I have always been blessed with a tremendous grasp of the obvious, and right away I made a connection. When the Ds were in Kindergarten at Leewood Elementary, the teachers there had monthly birthday celebrations. It would disrupt too much class time to celebrate each child's birthday -- so each April baby, for example, got to share with the other April babies. So the circle of life is even tighter than I thought. I watched Mom progress, or regress, through toddlerhood and infancy, before she died. And after you die, in a nursing home, you have to share your DEATHday party with the many others who die the same month! Lovely. The day got better, happily. D1 found a deal on Groupon (tm) and a handsome young photographer named Andy came over at 6. He was Cuban, of Greek extraction, and we all liked him right away. He set up his lighting, and we sweated out front as he took tons of photos of Wifey, the Ds, and me. We pick the ones we want and download and print them. They'll be ready in a week or so -- I look forward to having an updated family portrait or two. We celebrated our modeling with a great Italian meal at Salvatore -- our new family go to place. The Ds hadn't been, and loved it like I knew they would. I had 2 glasses of chianti, which greatly dulled the melancholy of impending death, and D1 had a healthily poured glass of Pino Grigio. D2 didn't drink, as she was driving to Aventura to welcome home her traveling boyfriend, and Wifey didn't drink because she never does. I wish she did. So today I'm off to the office, and no more calls from MJH. It's never a pleasant thing when a nursing home calls.