This weekend was a rare occasion in which both parents and all three children were under the same roof as we came together to celebrate Father’s Day and two birthdays. As it should, life has taken us kids in three different directions and so it’s always nice to bring it back to the start. I wonder when it will stop feeling funny coming back to my first home and staying in The Guest Room rather than what was my bedroom. Every afternoon I spend at my parents’ home I am impressed and envious at how much green they have surrounding them. I truly did not appreciate that enough while I lived there (or does it always feel that way when you think back to the past?). I have a hunch that my being enclosed by townhomes and manicured landscaping is what has sparked my need to bring more green into my home.
Our days together as a family fortunately/unfortunately included visits to the hospital to spend time with my grandparents and Uncle Greg & Aunt Tricia. Fortunately, because I love spending time with them and am grateful I was able to see them two days in a row. Unfortunately, because I’d rather family time not include hospitals and oxygen and beeping and that ultra-sanitized air. It is part of life, sadly. And I am counting my blessings — especially the one that means I am close both in relationship and geography to my family. In times like these it feels like the most important thing I have.