Anyway, I am happy to report that I am back on the good side of Joy.  And it has nothing to do with the economy. Last month, our daughter Erin and her husband Nathan moved back to Atlanta.  In a minor miracle of timing, they both got an opportunity to transfer within their companies.  It has been supremely satisfying to be able to call each other up and say, “Meet you at Starbucks?”  “Want to come over for dinner?”  “Feel like taking a walk this afternoon?”  All those things you can’t do when you live hundreds of miles away from each other.

I feel absolute UNREASONABLE joy from these small interactions with our daughter.  And now we are presented with another minor miracle.  Our son Mike got a chance to transfer back to Atlanta and will be moving here in six weeks with our daughter-in-law Leah and our family obsession, the 2 year-old Ms. Ava Marie.

John and I have a good life together, filled with friends and activities and work.  But to have our kids back in the same city, especially in these uncertain times, now that’s a life with a full measure of joy.

Well, I just wanted to share this happy news.  Lord knows we need to share ANY happy news with each other.  There certainly isn’t any on T.V.  Mostly I want to run screaming in terror after watching CNN or Fox.   The debate on what our government should do will rage on for years.  But we are not powerless.  The minute we start believing in ourselves and each other and the future, is the moment the true recovery starts.   I know my recovery started the moment I got those two phone calls, “Mom, we’re moving back to Atlanta.”