Her Pool

We were back to the neighbors for for the first time this year, that inaugural dip and jump off the board! But I have to admit, I choked up when I walked across her grass. It wasn't the same knowing he wasn't there. My beloved neighbor has been gone now for about two months and that lump in my throat still remains.

She asked if I'd like a glass of wine. The children swim. She talked about how she has been doing. And now it's time to start coming back up. She said "I need to restore myself."

I told her that would sit on my heart for a while. To restore yourself. To come back to who you are. Or, in her case, a new version of her she never thought she had to be.

I admire her so.

The lump still remains. But the laughs and giggles were there. The diving board still has a good bounce. The gate still creeks. 

It's a new day.