All Good Things

Originally French, attributed to pseudonym Violet Fane, “Tout vient a qui sait attendre.” Technically, all things. I added the word good because in my life, the best times have been the result of a wait.

It took twenty years after college to meet my life’s mate, my dear husband. Yes, I had to kiss a few frogs along the way but he was worth the wait. Along with him came a great surprise.

On our bedroom wall is a photo of my mother, my grandmother (Dad’s side, Mom’s mom had already passed) and me. I was just out of the hospital, a few days old. It was to be the last time I saw that grandmother as she died before I was six months old.

Two months before we decided to elope, we flew to meet his parents. They were OK with my husband’s choice of spouse, as my parents were with mine. Then we went to meet his grandmother. She interviewed me at her home, was very gracious, and welcomed me to the family. She said that since I never had a grandmother, she could be mine, too. That meant a lot to us, to my husband because his Nanny had sat him on her lap as a two year-old and read from the Encyclopedia. She always indulged his love of learning and that it took him to a degree in physics.

So, for twenty years I’ve had a grandmother, of whom I speak of today as she is laid to rest. She was ninety-five when she passed earlier this week, and while COVID will diminish the number of people who gather to see her on her journey, she knows that she has the love of family and friends. She got to spend time with her great-great-grandkids and not many have a chance to do that in life. God rest your soul, Nanny.

Let’s see, there are other good things worth waiting for, like wisdom. I’ve always thought it humorous when a teenager pens an autobiography when their life has barely begun and they haven’t had time to pull all the pieces together to see what they mean in context.

It took me nineteen years to get my husband to register to vote. Last year, he finally did. He still has yet to visit a polling place, but that’s because we dropped off our ballots as a result of COVID.

And then there come our dogs. The first fifteen years we had Zoe, an Australian Shepherd mix from the pound. She was a sweetheart loved by all, who only needed two people to be happy, us. Now at two years is Lulu, a full miniature Australian Shepherd who is still bouncing off the walls unless she has several play dates with other neighborhood dogs each week.

Ah, here she is helping make the spaghetti. We’ve thought of getting her a buddy, but my husband’s been stubbornly insisting that it be a large, sedentary dog who will calm her down. My view is toward a dog of similar type and energy level so they can play, tire each other out and then can hang out and watch Netflix before bedtime.

It took two years of waiting, but just the other day he backed down and said he thought we “needed another.” So good things do come to those that wait! I’ll start looking as soon as things get back to normal, whatever that might be. We’re still awaiting COVID vaccines. There may be a relocation on the horizon so we’ll just wait. After all, everyone is waiting for normal to return, and hoping it’ll be good news. Cheers! Dee