This past week, our daughter Marisa moved to NYC. With Jaimie soon to be married and Aaron in college, Kathy and I are officially empty nesters. Change is good but not always easy; Kathy and I have always been good at being present in the evolving stations of our lives. We had a lot of fun as newlyweds, but raising our kids has been our biggest joy. I have always said if you get the marriage part right, the rest of your life tends to fall into place. On Monday, Kathy and I will celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. I was blessed to get the marriage thing right so I am actually looking forward to the next adventure for the two of us. Kathy was the force in our kids lives growing up, but I have gotten closer to all of them as they have matured. I think the next few years are my time with the kids. As empty nesters, staying healthy, going to the theater, and traveling more frequently together is the plan for now. I also intend to focus more on the things I enjoy the most with my work, like writing, but I’m not delusional and definitely don’t think we have it all figured out yet; my sense is that I will have much more to say on the subject in the coming months.
The woman who gave me life and shaped me to be the person that I am passed away on March 5th. My mother Irma was a strong woman – a really strong woman. She was the matriarch of our family. I joke that the rest of us were just part of her supporting cast...