I almost did not want to come home from work last night. I have had a most enjoyable two weeks with two of my baby sisters and friends spending their holiday here with me. I had a packed house, full of laughter and evening chats in Yank accents. Boomer sisters and friends loitering downstairs at midnight for ice-cream. Busy bodies in the kitchen and the bathrooms. Music, dancing, barbecues in the garden, stories and reminiscences of youth, shopping, touring and gadding about London with them in-between my work schedule. Except for one who lives in Paris, the rest have flown back to the States yesterday morning. I am missing them. Much more so last night before bed during Rosary as it was something we did together before bedtime. Thank God for the wonders of technology because that is the domain where we keep in touch. Amazing how I could actually hear the house settle last night. Anyone else familiar with the sound of silence? I shall now put on a Led Zep until I get used to it again.

Lola, your life is so blessed. Gosh girl, I love reading your posts. What fun your last two weeks have been. I hope you took lots of pictures. I bet you were a most gracious hostess.

The sound of silence is something I will expereince this week as my nest totally empties. I'll revisit this post in a few days and let you know how it goes.

Oh, the site of ya'll reciting the rosary is a wonderful image. Did your mom do that with you when you were kids? Just wondering...

Don't worry, before you know it, it gets noisy again. When they start showing up with their own families you'll wonder what happened to the peace and quiet and where the time went. It will seem like they left for college only yesterday. Time passes that quickly, doesn't it?
Louisa

Hi, Dotsie: Yes, my Mom had a devotion to Our Lady and the Rosary. The devotion is very close to our hearts, especially mine as by some wonderful coincidence, birthdays of my children, grandchildren and mine all fall on major feasts of Our Lady.

Hi, Louisa: Pandemonium is the order of the day when my daughter and her family come to stay with me for a weekend once a month. It is a welcome break from what can sometimes be a deafening silence as a result of living on my own. Chatter and noise are the norms in my family, as I presume it would be the case in many, and the silence is a stark reminder of the empty nest. I ward it off by having the TV switched on to rolling news for the background chatter and music when I am home. Yes, time has flown rather too quickly but quite amazed by all that comes with changes. It can be a battle sometimes but I am managing rather well, I reckon.

Got back late last night. Haven't even picked up the dog from the kennel yet. This house is silent. You could hear a tear drop if you listened hard enough.

But by the grace of God, I feel good about it. I'm grateful they are all settled and doing what they feel they need to do at this time in their lives.

Lola, how many children does you daughter have?

Hi, Dotsie: My daughter has two and is expecting a third late next month. The grandson is 6 and the granddaughter is 2. My lovable little rogues.

Well, Dotsie - it'll take some time to settle with the silence but keep busy. Then time will pass...slowly, but surely. Thanksgiving is not too far off and all three will be back and you'll have your hands full again. Soon after, it'll be Christmas!!!

Lola, I bet your home is hopping when they're around.

I am keeping busy and that definitely helps. Last night we arrived home around 8:30 after doing some more homework on companion care, etc. and the house was dark and empty except for our dog who greeted us like she hadn't seen us in days. She is really missing the kids and their friends. She's so confused. Anyway, I walked through the house turning on lights and couldn't help but notice that the house was in the exact same order as when I left hours before. Now that's the good part!

The sound of silence? I hardly know that, My daughter is gone, she lives in Canada now and has identical twin boys who will be 2 April 14th next year, I have never seen them other than pictures, But i have 3 parrots that are like having 2 or 3 yr olds who are only quite for a short period during the day when they take a nap and when you turn out the lights at night to go to bed. I probably couldnt stand it if i didnt have the parrots, and i have Dusty my cat that we adopoted from the animal shelter in march, I wish i knew what he says cause he is quite vocal. but a sweet cat.