Turns out a lifelong friend who was more like family to the groom’s father was a second cousin of my dad’s, and there was this instant sense of belonging.
Photos: my father-in-law surrounded by all his great-grands (with two mothers holding them) except Mathias, who is too young to travel. (Maddy, Kim, Parker and Hudson are to his left.)
Two of my sisters have in the last year moved within an hour of the folks and we had mini reunions going on on my side as time allowed.
Nash got his stocking hand-delivered and I got to see how much it meant to him a
Every teenager needs someone who is not their parent who thinks the world of them–someone who doesn’t have to but just does. I remembered the people I owed much to from my own teens as we were winding through the hills towards their house.
And in between, our daily dose of baby pictures came in and got shared around.
We arrived home in the early afternoon and as I was trying to catch up on five days’ worth of email, there was a new one: after we’d left for the airport, Mom had taken a walk and had fallen, broken a tooth, loosened another and split her lip. Ouch!
Two random men in the right place happened to see her and rushed to her aid, and whoever they are they have my deep gratitude. And to Mom’s neighbor who took her in to be seen.
The note from Dad said that the urgent care folks had said Mom was not to smile nor laugh for a few days.
My mother. Not laughing. Not smiling. Good luck with that.