Page 85 of Loving London

“Our life has love, beauty, and purpose. I can’t think of anything better.”

—Loïc Berkeley

“All done. The last paint can is stacked up on the shelf in the garage. We are unpacked, decorated, and organized. We are officially moved in,” London says with a sigh of glee. She places a mug of coffee on the small table before plopping down in the lounge chair beside me.

“Good job, babe.” I reach out my hand, and she takes it, entwining her fingers through mine.

We sit out on our three-seasons porch that overlooks the rolling hills of the Great Smoky Mountains. The trees that blanket the vast hills range in color from the deep green of the pines to the burnt orange, golds, and reds of the others. Autumn here is nothing short of breathtaking.

Life for the Berkeleys is awesome.

London and I chose to buy a house near the border of Tennessee and North Carolina. The natural splendor of the area was a huge deciding factor. It’s stunning during all four seasons of the year. The array of outdoor activities, from skiing to white-water rafting, was also a big draw.

London and I both travel some with our jobs. She’s a freelance writer for several papers, including theNew York Times. She does all of her writing here but has to travel for research. If I’m not busy, I go with her. Both of the states that border our home have many VA medical centers. I keep busy with leading groups and traveling around the country, giving talks and raising awareness for issues affecting our veterans. London and I are also starting a nonprofit organization to help veterans battling PTSD in hopes of lowering the twenty-two-per-day suicide rate.

Our life has love, beauty, and purpose. I can’t think of anything better.

“We’re free next weekend, right?” I ask London.

“Yeah, we are.”

“Oh, good. I thought we were. Sarah wants to visit.”

“Oh, great!” London exclaims. “I miss Evan.”

“Me, too.” I grin, thinking about my adorable two-year-old nephew.

She takes a sip of coffee. “Is Dixon coming, too?”

“Yep, Dick can make it,” I answer with a chuckle.

“Awesome. So, they’re still doing well?”

“Yeah, Sarah says they’re doing awesome.”

Sarah and Dixon hooked up after our wedding this past spring and have been dating since. I’m so happy for both of them. Dixon is a great man, and he loves Sarah and Evan.

“Oh, look.” London points toward the large oak tree behind our porch. “Poppy and Pooh are getting so big.”

I look over to see our resident raccoon family climbing up the tree. London named the mama Priscilla, and her babies were named Poppy and Pooh. The babies have more than doubled in size since we first saw them when we moved in a couple of months ago.

“Yeah, they’re not really babies anymore, are they?”

“I wonder how long they’ll stay with Priscilla before they venture out on their own,” London says.

“I’m not sure. Hopefully through the winter.” I shrug.

“I need to place more food out to make sure they get really fat before hibernation. Raccoons hibernate, right?”

I smile wide, squeezing her hand in mine. “I think so. Don’t worry; they’re doing just fine. They’re already pretty plump.”

“I know, but more food won’t hurt them.”

We watch the mama and her babies until they disappear up the tree.

London lets go of my hand and turns on her side to face me. “So, what do you want to do today?”

“You,” I respond simply.

---