September began quite warm here. While most of August felt like a September, the weather has been unseasonably hot and humid here (and I think everywhere else). Thankfully, Labor Day Weekend flew by quickly. My bestie from high school had visited for the second time this year, which was great to see him. Mostly an average weekend here, but Monday offered reprieve from work with a session of Bingo in the afternoon and a holiday meal in the evening. I won one of the games of Bingo with the prize of 5 bags of popcorn and a Gatorade mix...Woohoo! Also, the meal was very similar to the 4th of July meal: grilled BBQ chicken quarters, macaroni and cheese, green beans, sweet baked beans, egg and potato salad, and an ice cream sandwich for dessert. I am amazed at how good the food continues to be served.
Every September, I reminded of the Green Day, "Wake Me Up, When September Ends." The song was written from the depths of grief over the loss of a parent. The song captures that moment when you just want to be left alone to sulk and wallow in longliness - not necessarily loneliness. For many consecutive years, I spent Labor Day Weekend in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware surrounded by many friends and known associates from DC. Of these individuals, Tarik Pierce and Wayne Owen would always join or at least be there. We used to rent a beach house together, but then friend groups grew and multiple houses would need to be rented. The memories of those weekends are special, because it was spent with those special guys. I grieve for them and their absences, but remind myself of the great memories that I have from those weekends and the traditions that we would celebrate. Of course COVID-19 interrupted the annual weekend celebrations, so I hadn't celebrated a LDW weekend with them since 2019. Four years later, I am happy that our world has moved on from the isolation and despair that loomed from COVID-19. Unfortunately, two lives (and so many more) weren't here to celebrate, rest, and relax like the rest of us - those guys have not been forgotten! I'm sure way too many toasts also occurred over the weekend for the death of Mr. Margaritaville - Jimmy Buffett [Lyrics from the song are the caption for this week's blog]
Thank you for all your continued support and love! I miss you all and hope you and your loved ones had a wonderful and long holiday weekend. Another summer down! Keep an eye out for those little miracles! 🙂