Dedication to Miss Terra

So this is Terra, one of our Knitting Bitch founders and a wonderfully warm, fuzzy person altogether. Her hair's a little shorter and darker now, and her belly's quite a bit smaller, since her daughter escaped from her little gestational house about 3 months ago, but it's a great candid shot, stolen from our firefightrix's blog (try saying that 3 times fast!).

This tall, beautiful, amazing chef of a lady and mommy is leaving us Bitches in Jacksonville this weekend for good, for the wilds of northern California, where she can raise her 2 granola children and wild-haired techie husband in an adorable little town that's rife with nature and probably doesn't have a yearly murder statistic. There's no pleasing some people.

I can't help looking up to this girl, and not just because she has about 4 inches on me. I'm 10ish years older than she, but she's accomplished so much more, from raising younguns to having a decent career to fall back on, one that she enjoys and can take pride in, one that'll add to her family's health and wealth should she ever need it to, while at the same time being able to stay home and raise her kids her way. She motivates me to get my life on a better track. She's a great listener and puts forth the appearance of someone who's secure in who they are, someone who's centered without being annoying about it. I'm sure she doesn't really wear the cape I'm putting on her, that she's as insecure as the rest of us, but to the innocent bystander, she's one sharp cookie!

I'm going to miss the heck out of her, and I'm thankful for this information age we live in, so that we can keep up with each other's lives as the future progresses. I mean, I'm all for the occasional road trip to visit friends, but Florida to Callie definitely requires significant planning so it could be years before we see each other again. I take comfort in the fact that I have family near where she's moving, so I could plan a joint family/friends/Napa touring trip someday, but for now, my life is all about SC, creating our own small people, and better careers for Les and I.

So I write to let her know how much she'll be missed, and that we'll be blaming her when ruthee bails on KB for work or because her turtle shell's more comfy than Panera when her best bud is gone. There'll be some wound licking, but we'll go on, better people for having you in our lives and secure in the knowledge that this isn't an ending; it's a transition. Goddess speed, Terra, Kevin, Draken, and Keelin!

~ Irish Blessing

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
And the rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May Goddess hold you in the hollow of her hand.