It's Never Too Late...

I happened upon a T. S. Eliot quote the other night that I feel is not only meaningful, but quite apropos of my current status: It's never too late to be what you might have been.  That says so much, doesn't it?  I think I will make it my new mantra.  I've always been an island girl at heart, and very soon I will be one in reality.

I sold a lot of small items at the local community garage sale last weekend, and made over $200 to add to my "Utila Fund".  I'm going to need lots of cash when I get there, since a lot of places (maybe most places!) don't take credit/debit cards.  I won't get my pension check or social security until a month after I've arrived, so I'll have to plan on having enough cash with me to get by for two months.  Then, hopefully, there will be no delays in receiving my money(s)...not that I don't have the utmost faith in my government (!?).

A dear friend has kindly offered to give Oliver a loving home.  She has a young female cat and thinks that she (Pixie) and Oliver would become good friends.  She will be picking him up a week from Saturday, May 21.  I will then have the summer to make sure that everything is working out for all involved and, if not, can make other arrangements before moving.  I know she will be a good mom to my sweet Oliver, and I hope that Oliver will adjust quickly and come to love his new owner and new "sister".  I expect to cry myself to sleep that night, without my Oliver to snuggle against the small of my back as I lay in the quiet darkness alone.  I will grieve for a time, but I will be strong in the face of adversity.  I am grateful to have had the love and companionship of this amazing friend for the past two years.

Tomorrow I will post on the bulletin at work my hand-crafted step-back cupboard, the antique desk that I saved from the landfill and transformed into a work of art, and the Singer sewing machine that hasn't been kept very busy of late.  I've had good luck selling things on the bulletin, so I'm hoping my luck will hold.

My new friend on the island, Jan, put the $100 deposit on my apartment for me and, when I asked if I should send her a check, replied, "I'll see you in August and get it from you then."  I'm hoping everyone on the island is as gracious and trusting!

Mother's Day was bittersweet this year, as it was the last Mother's Day I will get to spend with my children.  Next year we will have a "get-together" on the web-cam instead.  Hearing their voices and seeing their sweet faces will have to take the place of feeling their warmth as they wrap their arms around me.  Things will be different, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing.  We'll all adjust to the differences, and life will go on, and it will be good.