![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/svecho.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/ofice.jpg\" "\\"ofice\\"")
<\/a>colleagues, \u00a0great ideas that became something, great ideas that never got beyond the scribbled note phase, art work the kids drew when they were stuck with me at work for some reason. \u00a0 Coffee cups. \u00a0All the thousands of things you squirrel away over 30 years in a career. \u00a0 Saying goodbye to all the great people there that have done so much to make the company become what it is today. \u00a0Or at least saying “so long” since I know I will be back for board meetings a few times each year. So, cleaned out the office, packed up my 2 little boxes of stuff, parked my company car out back, said my goodbyes, and sat in the conference room waiting for Mary to pick me up. \u00a0Very Weird.<\/p>\nWe have been party central at the boat getting our last home port entertainment opportunities in. \u00a0Mary’s sibs and our nieces and nephews. \u00a0 My sibs and niece and nephew. \u00a0Many old and dear friends. \u00a0Our great neighbors from Edgewood. \u00a0Dear friends we met from Nate’s school. \u00a0A great day with Nate’s color guard coaches Mike and Bryan (that was a blast, they had the wisdom to arrange for a ride home and much beer was consumed.) \u00a0My flying buddies and their families. \u00a0 \u00a0 And hanging with our new marina friends too (any excuse for a party with those folks.) \u00a0\u00a0And our Moms of course.<\/p>\n
So Sunday now. \u00a0Monday Nate’s monument is scheduled to be installed and we will visit Nate and Liam. \u00a0Monday night, a get together at Mary’s mom’s house. \u00a0And Tuesday morning we should be off.<\/p>\n
All my life I have felt like I have been walking through doors and entering new and wonderful rooms. \u00a0 But always I felt like each door remained open and the old rooms were still connected and I could look through them and access the old places. \u00a0 My life house got bigger. \u00a0I never had a sense that the doors were closing behind me and I always felt that I could reach back and touch what ever I wanted. \u00a0Until the last few years I was blessed to be able to continue to accumulate kids and family and friends and love and stuff and new experiences, but never have to say goodbye to anyone or any thing. \u00a0Today, different. \u00a0Loosing Liam and Nate taught me that some doors close forever.<\/p>\n
I’m sure someone smarter than me wrote this too, but there are phases in life. \u00a0My first 50 years were a endless series of new doors to be opened and explored. \u00a0Behind every door new space, a new room, a new experience, a new loved one, new stuff. \u00a0None needed to be closed and I could reach into those rooms and touch whatever I wanted. \u00a0Not like touch a memory, like really touch. \u00a0The house of my life just continued to add more rooms and become more full and satisfying. You are one lucky guy when you can stay in that house for 50 years. \u00a0Now I feel that I am in a new phase.<\/p>\n
There still looks to be an endless series of doors ahead, but for the first time, doors are closing behind me and the house of my life is getting smaller. \u00a0Some rooms are closing by choice, some by fate. \u00a0I won’t walk through the door at the Edgewood house, Sarah and Brian won’t live with me, I won’t see our dads, our grandpas, or Liam, or Nate. \u00a0I won’t have airplanes, I won’t build stuff in the garage.<\/p>\n
Our trip is a recognition of the many future doors we will find and the new rooms we can explore. \u00a0And a recognition that we are stepping into another phase. \u00a0Not less excitement, not fewer new doors to open and rooms to add, but recognition of melancholy and loss too. \u00a0Not less, but different.<\/p>\n
Love you all.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The last couple of weeks have been a wonderful whirlwind. \u00a0 We have been splitting our time between all the physical chores we need to do to get the boat ready, all the shoreside details that need to be sorted, … Continue reading