Life is Beautiful

Tonight my husband and I went to a concert outdoors in Vienna, Virginia. The performing artists were the Sea Chanters, a 17-voice choir made up of members of the U.S. Navy. They are very good, and did a great variety of numbers. I really don't enjoy concerts most of the time; I often go just to be supportive of the interests of my husband, but though I went reluctantly this time, I was glad I did.

It was a beautiful evening. The air was not too warm and not too cool, and there was not much humidity and no breezes. Perfect weather. The Sea Chanters were originally formed to continue the legacy of sea shanties, songs performed by sailors, and they usually do one of those tunes. They always end singing the songs of the five military organizations.

Women were added to the group in 1980. Watching the women perform tonight, my eyes filled with tears. My daughter has the talent and charisma to sing in a group like this. However, she does not have the desire or motivation. Her talent is wasted, and that breaks my heart.

Friday night our son-in-law fell while skateboarding and broke his femur up in his hip. This required him to have surgery yesterday. The doctor is optimistic that he will be fine, and he is doing well, but this is a major blow to him and our other daughter. They have one child and are expecting another, and he does business-to-business sales, so he can't afford any downtime.

Our son has applied for a job with a hip, fun company. They were supposed to have gotten back to him over a week ago, but he has not heard. I guess they don't want him. He is frustrated at the difficulty of trying to find a fulfilling job and still take care of his family.

When your kid hurts, you hurt.

As we drove home through the beautiful evening, I thought about how crushingly disappointing life can be; how sad and frustrating and difficult. But it is also achingly beautiful. And there are currants in the cake (I read that sentence in a book one time!): I published my first book on Amazon's Create Space this week. I have already sold eight paperback copies and four e-reader copies! Go me! Something checked off my bucket list!