Life has been so busy lately. There have been ups and downs. For that I am truly thankful. It lets me know I am still alive.
I have been making a list of all the things for which I am thankful — just jotting down a word or two on a notepad that is on the kitchen counter. And, by the way, that’s a new kitchen counter. It just seems that when you are living in a house you adjust to the way things work and the way they look. But, when you get away from it for a while and return, it almost seems that you return with a new set of eyes.
For years, it seemed that everything here looked great. It was comfortable and most everything worked well. Two years later, coming back home, I wonder what in the world I could have been thinking! And, I was left to wonder what people who stopped by for a visit must have thought. Well, that’s not the real point. But, how in the world did I live with those tiny closets and who needs so many bedrooms, even in a beach cottage?
But, that’s not exactly what I am wanting to share today. I sat down Friday night and promised myself that I would do nothing for the weekend except sit and stare. Yeah, I was that tired. Besides, sitting on the front porch with the ocean for the front yard is enough to be thankful for.
To be honest, I was so tired that I was afraid I would fall asleep sitting in the big old wicker chair. I gathered up a bit of energy — just enough to move to the hammock. We have all been in that place between sleep and awake. It appears to be somewhat grey, where we float and lose the heaviness of our body weight. With eyes closed, the mind seems to drift between here and there. I’m not quite sure where “there” is, but we have all been “there.”
The phone rang. I heard it ring, but I wasn’t sure if the sound was real or imagined. For what seemed like an eternity I was stuck in that place between responding to the ring and hoping it was imaginary. It kept ringing. Now, you know I hated answering it. That other consciousness that reminds us that we are not really in the moment kept telling me I had to make a decision. Trust me on this one. I didn’t want to decide anything. The entire week had been filled with decisions. All I wanted to do was float between “here” and “there.”
My husband sided with the telephone, urging me to pick it up. I knew I would. But, I also knew that I would probably have a blurred recall of the conversation unless I could gather my wits and come back to “here.” Folks, that is really hard to do when the steady lapping of the ocean has hypnotized you and continues to beckon you to “there.”
Now, to be honest I don’t really remember saying “hello.” In fact, I don’t know that I did. I pressed the little place on the surface of the phone that connects “us” to “them.”
“She’s here.”
I’m sure it was only a split second as my mind was pulled back into the here and now. I couldn’t respond.
“She’s here.”
My first reaction was “good” but I said nothing.
For the third time I heard my son’s voice say, “She’s here.” But, this time he followed it with “she arrived at 5:27.” I looked at the clock. It was 9:15. Well, whoever she is had been there for a while — that was my first thought. But, I was traveling from that monotonous place of the steady sound of the sea to reality.
“Oh, my God! She’s here!” I was back to this world.
Two weeks ahead of ETA and my second granddaughter had entered the world. Now, that’s truly something to be thankful for. All the fingers and toes are accounted for. And, what more can you ask?
What a special family gift to bring a close to a long and tiring week. So, as I looked back over the accomplishments of the week — new cabinets in the kitchen, new counter-tops, new tile flooring, a small bedroom turned into a double walk in closet and a larger bathroom, and a new granddaughter.
To be honest I was thankful for everything the week had produced when I made my way to the hammock. But, in truth my son and daughter-in-law trumped everything I had done or could even do. So, at the end of a long week, I am most thankful for those special moments that only children can provide.
