Holding on and letting go

Margie returned Saturday night from a family gathering with her daughter, her two sons and their partners, and her two grandchildren. One of her sons is a physician, and he rented what Margie calls a “palatial” house for them in Bend, Oregon. Each bedroom had its own bathroom. The deck had a barbecue grill and a view of mountains and river. There was a stream nearby where the family went body-surfing and sliding around on slippery rocks, and she had a grand time in the water. One of her sons cautioned her, “take it easy, Ma.” 

She eyeballed him and said fiercely, “I’m gonna live until I die.” 

Telling me the story, she leaned back laughing, “That shut him up, and nobody told me to take it easy again for the whole weekend.”