Before Abe Left -- Parade

I didn't try to be overly sentimental about everything leading up to Abe's departure. And, other than the occasional jolting feeling during last holidays or family traditions, I succeeded fairly well right up until the last month or so before he left. 

But then it became hard for me not to be hyper-aware of last moments with him and all of my family together and to sense the giant shift ahead. I admit that I often had what felt like a large, heavy rock sitting in the bottom of my stomach. Daisy joked that, if I really thought about it, I'd never actually had all my family together until these last tiny months anyway (as I was always missing . . . which ever children hadn't arrived yet).

I suppose she has a point there. And yet, somehow, I didn't feel the incompleteness quite so keenly on the coming end of things. (Though we can certainly argue I felt it strongly enough. How else would I have brought ten kids here against every bit of logic and reason?!)

Anyway, one of the "before Abe left" events this summer was our local parade. The sad thing here is . . . Abe was working that day! It made me quite sad as I'd assumed we'd have one last time of sending him and Daisy down to set up a spot for us early, etc. Alas. 

(He did manage to be back home in time for shows on the movie projector outside and the firework show you can watch from our backyard.)