FFA Fruit

Hey, thanks for the warm welcome! I feel a bit like a just got a big "Dating Game" kiss - remember the big kiss blown at the end of the show with the giant arm wave? Loved to see all the comments. I just returned tonight from delivering FFA fruit. What a job! My eldest offspring is the president of the local chapter and they sell copious amounts of fruit as a fund raiser. I see a tie in with the newly started eating habits. I am told the term FFA no longer stands for Future Farmers of America. Apparently they felt it was too limiting and now it refers to anything agriculturally related. I must take a moment to give props to the local ag teacher/advisor. He is awesome with the kids and I believe he should be cloned and put in every classroom in our school system, especially at the high school level where my children have the benefit of having him for classes. He's passionate about not only teaching his courses, but also what it is to be a successful human being. Most of what he conveys to them is life skills, not just ag skills. He will shake a student's hand, look them square in the eye and tell them how proud he is of them because they worked hard and did their best. Where they placed in a contest comes way down the list. I 'll get off that soap box for now.
Any way, what I thought was going to be a huge chore, ended up being quite pleasurable. I had very nice visits with my mother in law, father in law, a neighbor, and my parents. Needless to say, the evening took longer than expected. But I had the opportunity to share with my parents MGs thoughts about his father and the new snow. My mother immediately responded that she knew just what that loss felt like having lost her only sister and sibling over 25 years ago. She related how difficult it was to see their house every day and have things she wanted to tell her sister S. only to remember that she was no longer there. I guess I forget sometimes how acute that loss was/is to her. We then started talking about how many of my friends no longer had their parents and there sat both of mine in their kitchen. I took the opportunity to tell them how lucky I was to have them both there. I guess the older I get and the more loss I see through my work, I try to make the effort to say out loud what should be said - sometimes today is the only day you get.