Today is officially Day 1, A.E. (After Esperanza).  Yesterday’s goodbyes were tearful and bittersweet.  But we know we’ll see her again soon.  The girls were testy with each other last evening, and it crossed my mind that they were acting out because of Esperanza’s departure.

We’ll see what the next weeks and months bring.  I don’t think I’ll really feel her absence until a couple of weeks from now.  At first it will probably feel like she’s on vacation.  Eventually, however, reality will set in.  It’s just a matter of time.

We’re all a little sad today.  The house seemed a little emptier than usual, despite the fact that Esperanza never worked for us on Fridays.  But even when she wasn’t here, we always felt her presence – in the way she arranged our clothes in our closets, in the personal belongings she stored here from week to week, in the way she organized the laundry area downstairs.

But it’s time for us to move on – and it will only get better from here.  We’re already looking forward to seeing her when she returns from her 2-month stint in El Salvador.  Esperanza, we miss you already!