A bittersweet farewell

Tonight we (Drew, me, Rachel) attended a retirement party for Jo-Ann Rausch, the woman who runs St. James' preschool. It was wonderful and yet so disconcerting to see all of Rachel's former teachers from infants and mobiles and Toddler 1s and 2s. I've forgotten some of their names, which is sad -- at one point, they were so important in our lives as I worried and worried whether I was doing a good job as a mommy. It was reassuring to drop her off at daycare and know that she was well-taken care of by women who were experienced, confident and caring.

I got there a little late, only to find Rachel and her friend Devin running up and down the halls screeching. At one point Rachel asked me to "save me from the Daddy monster!" and hid behind me. She was unusually affectionate tonight; she kept coming up to me and hugging my legs. I thanked Jo-Ann for taking Rachel back after Drew returned from New York, and I told her that the daycare we used in Salem wasn't as good as St. James. Looking around at all the people who had come to the party (it was in the basement of St. James), I told her, "This is a tribute to you," and then I told her I needed to go because I was about to start crying, and she said she was about to start crying too.

As I walked back to my car, parked several blocks away, I was struck by how wonderful life can be sometimes and how I need to remind myself of that more often. We have a real community of friends, and if we end up staying here for good, then Rachel has a group of kids she will essentially have grown up with. I heard lots of stories tonight about how kids start off together at St. James and then, although they disperse to different public schools around the city, the friendships often last -- even past college and graduate school. I love that Rachel has a little posse of friends who she loves and who love her.

I also ran into Kathleen McDonald, the church receptionist who used to be the office manager of the Oregonian. She told Drew she follows me on Facebook, and tonight she said, "I read your posts, and you're right where you should be." She also reminded me that when I left the Oregonian two years ago, she knew I'd land on my feet. I reminded her that she told me a while ago that I'm doing things I'd never get to do if I were still at the Oregonian.

And to that I say, AMEN, sister.