The sky is gray today and I can see the leaves of the bushes bouncing in the wind outside the window. Traffic is light this morning; our usual busy street only sporting the occasional car. Cordelia, our corgi, is stretched out on the couch beside me, her head resting on a pillow. She was up and ready to go outside at 6:15 this morning, the time I get up every weekday to spend with my daughter Elizabeth, who eats breakfast and talks with me from 6:30 – 7:30. That is the only time I see her all day – that one hour – since she began law school last June. Of course, Cordelia, as smart as she is, doesn’t know that today is Sunday and we could sleep late. No problem for her, however, since she’s gone back to sleep. I reach over and pet her and marvel once again at how soft her fur is.

This dog is unique for me. I loved my sweet Winnie, our schnauzer we had for 16 years, but Cordelia is different. She is much calmer than Winnie, who had an almost hyper-vigilance about her. Winnie, in her younger days, was always up, out, running from room to room to check out what was happening. Cordelia, on the other hand, is equally alert, but more relaxed. She is more of a people dog, so tuned in to feelings and reactions that she’s more friend than animal. Not to say she is not all dog. Her amber eyes take in everything from the fly buzzing in the room to the far off meow of our cat, William, who sends her flying off the couch to go see where he is and what he’s up to. Her only animal friend – and a reluctant one – who she seems to think is another dog since she pounces on him to play, then when he freezes, she licks his face as if she’s his mother and he needs a thorough bath. This dog fills this house with life. Yesterday, she was gone for a while with daughter Rachael, and my husband and I both said, “We need Cordie back. It’s too quiet here without her.”

Rachael saw for the first time yesterday that her former room is shifting from hers to ours. She walked in and noted the new paintings on the wall and the addition of bookcase and said, “Oh, boo.”

I knew that it was going to come as a bit of a shock to her that Mom and Dad had usurped her digs. I had told her over the phone and she said a generous and whole-hearted, “You should! It’s so much bigger than your room.” But seeing the shift in person elicited the response that I feared. That “boo” said life had truly changed with her decision to move out. Not that she is regretful of that decision. She is almost 21, after all, and she loves her roommate and the independence and besides, her apartment is really cute with a great kitchen and lots of storage space. She said, “If I ever decide to move back, do I get my room back?” Her father and I both shook our heads. “No, you get our room if you move back.” She shrugged. “Okay, that’ s fair.”

I don’t ever expect Rachael will move back home, though I must note that I never expected Liz to return. Liz’s move was prompted by her acceptance in a law school nearby and living at home saved lots of money. So, I guess it’s not inconceivable that our youngest may come back for a temporary stay after her time at UCLA. We’ll see. In the meantime, my husband and I have the whole upstairs to ourselves. It’s not a huge upstairs, mind you, just another bedroom and one big shared bath, but wow, it feels fairly huge with just two of us up there. When Liz moved back, she returned to her little bedroom at the back of the house on the first floor. We painted after she moved and made it the guest room. Now, our former bedroom moves into that role. I suppose if our oldest daughter, Sarah, comes back to LA after her four years in medical school in Texas, we’ll happily give her the new guest room for a while until she finds where she wants to live. I’m guessing that’s not in the cards, but then again, who knows what the cards will be?

So, what does all this moving and all these changes signify? I suppose that life moves and changes whether we like it or not. Kids grow up, we all get older, one dog dies and another comes and creates its own unique spot in our hearts. One more birthday under my belt and many more to come, I hope. And in the meantime, I’m heading upstairs for an hour or so before church to put books away in my new office spot, and that makes me happy, the idea of all my books organized and out where I can lay my hands on them. Small pleasures go a long way.  And with that, I’m off to start my day.

How about you? How have changes shifted your life? I’d love to know. Please share in the Comments section.