Life is one big curveball

The letdown and the start of summer. Plus, a strawberry pie recipe from the archives.

There’s often a letdown that happens after a big milestone. Months, even years, of emotional investment and anticipation reaches a peak and then…leaves us empty.

Empty is a fitting word right now, but it’s not the only emotion I feel.
Proud. Excited. Scared. Frustrated. Tired.

We had a high school graduation for one kid and a send off for a summer semester abroad in Korea for the other. And in the midst of it all, cutting through the highs like a rude party crasher, came some unexpected news and a financial setback.

I saw my youngest child’s expression as she walked down the aisle when commencement was over and saw a face that was a little shell shocked. She looked like a lost lamb. It broke my heart, but I also understood. I didn’t know what I should be feeling this week either. No wonder I threw myself into the war against the carpet moths in our apartment. I needed to fight something. Cleaning, as I have come to learn with more clarity over the years, is my attempt at control. But control over life, as I was reminded last week, is often a futile endeavor.