My housemate and I were reflecting on our lives, our shared history (thirty-odd years), our nation, women and men, children.  Marriages, twenty-YEAR marriages have ended for us, recently for her and long ago for me.  Our kids are grown and in various stages of development as adults, and all are doing well in their lives across the country.  We have grandsons in whose lives we actively participate, and whom we adore, and daughters grateful for us.  We are blessed with great friends, chosen for their character and ability to be generous, honest, and loving.  We have loved and been loved.  Our nation, founded (really, not that long ago) on the concept of freedom, continually makes mistakes as we grow into our potential and immense wealth.  We are grateful to have a president and administration worthy of our pride and we are filled with hope for the future.  Even though the economy is a little rocky at the moment, we live in a beautiful place and have everything we need.

We were just feeling pretty lucky with all that, and it occurred to me that we played a part in how our lives are going, though being born in this country is certainly random luck of the draw.  We did our best to understand ourselves, to accept painful changes that resulted in growth, to have integrity, to raise our children with compassion and understanding, to be fair in our dealings with others, to forgive mistakes, our own and those of others.   We’ve made a choice here to create our own family that will nurture and support us.  And one week into it, so far, so good.