On one of the warm days that trickled into central Illinois last week, as I walked into the Normal Public Library, I saw an elderly woman in a wheelchair. From the possessions sitting on her lap in a tattered bag, she appeared to be homeless. The parking lot is small, and she was neither close to the library door nor the street. Just sitting quietly alone, far off to the side, head tilted slightly back, bothering no one, taking in the momentary relief of the sun. The thought of having so little is heartbreaking. The thought of all that I do have is overwhelming.
My "spring break" is this week, since the high schools but not the colleges are out. Last week I averaged 4 hours of tutoring per day; I now have 25 students on my roster including 7 in college. The Heartland staff invited me to help with their annual planning, which was educational. Some ACT interest has come in.
Dena and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary with Monical's pizza and a How I Met Your Mother marathon! It would have been more representative of our dating years for us to watch Forrest Gump three times, but we have been thankful for rediscovering this witty show the last couple of weeks. Netflix has been a capable substitute for cable these last ten months, and I say this in the middle of March Madness NCAA hoops!
Ah, yes, hoops. Our season ended in the sectional championship game. We could just as easily have had 32 wins instead of 23, but it was still a winning season competitively as well as personally. Coaching basketball has been a stirring 5-year tribute to all that Dad did for me growing up; I've learned much about myself and look forward to the next volunteer adventure.
Fantasy baseball is in bloom. I had one draft last weekend; another tonight; another one coming up. My Excel spreadsheets are smoking, I've enlisted Twitter and several web sites to help feed me the latest information. There will be abundant brain activity and no early-onset dementia fueled in this house. I'm shooting for a best-ever finish in the Hillegass league.
Two weeks ago the band played one of the songs I suggested (Need You Now, by Plumb). As much as I enjoyed the sound, it also reminds me how fortunate I am to have the selfless and supportive band mates I do; how much I've mellowed when it comes to giving suggestions (I'm fine whether or not they use my ideas); how healthy it is to be part of a stable organization like Catholicism; how occasionally I even get to be the lead male singer, which is enough for me. Easter's coming and we'll be uplifting a huge crowd.
Jack and I set up a weekly Skype call, which is not so much to look at each other as to look at our pets. Mostly, as they sleep.
Our taxes were lower than we expected! $1,000 for state and, somehow, nearly zero for federal. I reported about $5,000 of tutoring income this year; next year's pace is above $15,000. My retirement goal was $12,000, all for spending money. Things are good.
Even though the semi-leisurely week ahead promises temperatures in the 30's and a hint of snow, daylight savings time makes it impossible to think of us as wintered these days. We've caught the scent of spring, and it's here to stay. In celebration of this glow on the horizon, and St. Patrick's Day just in the rear view mirror, it suits to close with an Irish blessing for you all this week. Or maybe a haiku:
Be ever thankful,
God is gently by your side,
Smile, count your blessings.
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