Well, it’s the last long weekend of the summer that never officially arrived. For various reasons, this one in particular, has produced some of the most long standing memories to date.
In the early cottage days, it was the weekend that we started hauling items up the hill. We didn't have stairs for the first six summers but we did have slave labour. I mean energetic children that did what they were told. As the years progressed, they caught on and rebelled. Trekking items up over the entire weekend inevitably prevented the angst, emotion, and volume of, “MOM…. NO FAIR… All she’s carrying is an empty water jug!”
This weekend doesn't only make me think of cottage life. It reminds me of indoor shoes, outdoor shoes, back packs, and the pain of adjustment at home the following week. Tweens adjusting to making (and not missing) the school bus at the bottom of the hill. Then, there was High School, and the cash drain of twelve hundred bucks a year for uniforms. BIG bucks for clothes they loathed wearing each and every single day they had to put them on.
Good Times… Good Times.
Smiling, none of those are the one moment I deem most memorable. It would be a private moment Labour Day Monday of 2012. I had lived at the cottage for the summer and the Post Secondary journey was finally complete. I remember my husband and I enjoyed a great day. By mid-afternoon, I finally said what I’d been thinking all weekend long, “we made it” I said. “No rent cheques to write. No more books to buy. We made it!”
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| Memories of a really GREAT Labour Day Monday. Taken: September 3rd, 2012 |
It was in that very moment that be both realized it was a new beginning for us. Actually, in going back through my photos today, I found the one I’m posting.
The fact that I picked up my cell phone and snapped a picture of my husband’s glass of red wine is significant. I'm positive it was to remind me that the kids were grown and gone and the next lag of this long journey was ours to define.
The hard part for both us, had been transitioning from being parents to being a friend and solid support system for them. Two years later (this weekend), we readily admit, that we had to do those things as a couple as well.
So, I guess in some ways, this weekend not only commemorates Labour Day, it's an anniversary for us as well. Wonder what he'll get me as a gift? Who the hell am I kidding. He's gonna forget!
Bet he'll tell me it's my fault. For failing to remind him! Ya Gotta Laugh About It...!!
Have a great weekend Peeps. Stay safe, have fun, and ensure you're always SMILING.
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