Saying our goodbyes

This weekend was not planned to be a farewell weekend, but it ended up that way. Friday night we hosted dinner for the Cranes and Martinos, 2 couples that we have shared wonderful meals with over the past 5 or 6 years. They gave us a candle holder that showed 6 people arm in arm, and we will have to add that to our list of things to pack.
Saturday Andrea, our oldest daughter who lives with husband Jack in Athens, Ga., and is expecting their first child Nov. 1, came to town for a baby shower. We will probably not be present for the birth of this baby like we were for the birth of our first grandchild, nor will we be seeing her as she gets to the end of her pregnancy. So there were lots of admonitions to call us regularly and assurances we would come down and stay after the baby is born.
Mark has played keyboard for at least 14 years in the contemporary choir on Saturday night at our parish church, St. Aloysius Catholic Church. Saturday night was his final appearance for a while. Our pastor,Fr. Bob, decided he wanted to have the community send us off with a blessing for our work and our safety while we were away. At the end of the service he called us forward and gave us a blessing, as well as presented us with a Jerusalem cross. Then the congregation save us a standing ovation. We both had tears in our eyes when we returned to our seats. It is a good thing Mark plays by ear because he wouldn't have been able to read the music for the final hymn after that. We both felt very humbled by the love and encouragement we felt from the community. Afterwards there was a choir potluck with lots of funny stories about Mark and near disasters that had occurred in various services, and a DVD of pictures from the past.
Finally, our second daughter, Angela and her husband Allen and son Cade, 2 yrs old, came over Saturday and Sunday. Allen helped Mark move our furniture to a small storage unit. We played with Cade at the pool and in the house. We will be seeing them at the end of October at the wedding of Thea's nephew in Atlanta, but the visit will be brief since the main event is the wedding. We gave them all a big hug and kiss, knowing how much Cade will change in the next few months.