Thursday, May 6, 2010

it was almost a month ago that we began our little flood in the basement.  funny, when we play that homeowner
game called "can you top this?" ....we always end up with someone saying, "wow! that stinks!"and how right they are....yes, we've won that game lately. 

really, was it a big deal in the scheme of life?  no.  especially now with the news of flooding in tennessee...now that's a flood.

we used to think a flood was when the kids put a toy boat in the toilet bowl and it floated away....whoosh!  like the tidy bowl man.....who, by the way lived in my hometown and was a lecture at church!  weird to have the tidy bowl man reading the gospel, huh?

but, i digress....again and again....and again.


that was when we lived in a condo.  we had the privledge of calling "julia's daddy"...eric.  he was the mr. fixit of the condo.  our little kids were enthralled with eric.  he could do anything...he was bigger than mr. rogers.  he had all of the answers.  he had all of the tools.  better yet, he had all of the patience!  our sweet little kids knew that when something went wrong that we just called "julia's daddy."  

oh how i wish he was with us now!  he got things done.  that was his job.  we are great at getting things done too.  except for one thing...and then another ....and then another!  no matter what project we start, another project pops up!



we work at getting things done...we just have a few interruptions.

dogs.

cats...not really.  unless daisy barks her "get the kitten" bark. that means business! as if she's saying, " come on!  i'm trying to get this kitten in for the night....let's get a move on!"



fish. they don't call for too much of an interruption.  unless they are floating and we have to take a break to have a memorial service and call in the neighbors to share our grief.


phone. life happens. the phone rings for pleasure calls. 

random kid calls.  

then we have the call
to hurry......like your hair's on fire calls to pick someone up after school!!!   or after a lacrosse practice...or a game  or cross country practice or a meet....

it goes something like this,"hi!  kanuupleezpikmeuppp?"
 
i say something to the effect of,"excuse me? could you repeat that please?" 

"isedkanupleezpikmeeeup?
andkannuuudrivesoandsoand what'shernameand pleezedtomeetyouhome?


yes.  i'll be right there...i'm painting the sistine chapel right now.  i'm almost finished. it will be a couple of minutes.


"waitizthatinyourtimeormytime?


and it's not even said in a sarcastic tone.  it's real.  it's a concern.  it's necessary information....as though there might be other appointments or a fight to the coast.

i wonder what that meant.  your time or my time?  that sounds like i'm some kind of mom who has abandoned my children on the side of the road...because i left them at school until after closing time and they have no food or drink or phone or text or friends or family.  hmmmmmm. have i done that EVER?


nope. nope. nope.  although i have had to take a few minutes to drive from cleveland, because i'm walking the dogs on a long walk or because i'm at the grocery store checking out.....or because i'm getting out of the shower because i've had dirt in my fingernails since 9:30 in the morning when i was potting plants.  otherwise, i'm ready to roll.  on call, on duty, on shift, on the clock....since january 1995.

i'm just that way.  i'm adaptable but since 1995, i have never been quick enough....never.  the child that was born on a january night in 1995 was crying when i went to her at the nursery in the hospital...to be with my baby again, after a long separation of about 7 minutes.  as i arrived in the nursery, a tad tired after 24 hours of waiting for my sweet little baby to be born, and i whined to the nurse, "oh, no she's crying!  I should have gotten here sooner, she needs me...i feel so guilty!"


that's when my darling nurse informed me that i shouldn't feel guilty because i'd have a lifetime of guilt to deal with as a mom."  casually and quietly she told me to get over that teeny tiny squeak that was emanating from my baby......it was a mere squeak and there were lots more cries to come and tantrums and body piercings and tattoos to follow.  


well, she nipped that in the bud...for about a minute...i took my teeny tiny baby with the sqeaking cry over to our rocking chair and gently whispered to her that i would never ever make her wait like that again.




i also told my itty bitty squeaky baby that by no means would i have any part of tattoos or body piercings.  i promised  her that i would always be there at her beckoned call.....forever. pretty much, i am....even if i let her think that i'm not.  she needs to know i'm always there for her.....and she also needs to know how to wait....how to plan her timing....how to check in....how to adapt....how to ask for help or aske for a ride.  she always has to be polite....or she'll walk home.

isn't that forever for a mom?  i think so.  sometimes it can feel like i'm a  tight leash.  sadly and happily, these days won't be forever....for either of our kids.  they'll be moving on.  they won't need us...they don't think that they need us right now....but, we're here.  always. always and forever and ever.
thankfully.


mother's day is around the corner. i'm still grateful that i got to be a mom......