The Gift

Times are rare in the life
of a mother...
after her children
are grown, gone, with families
of their own... that she gets to
spend quality time with them.
There are family get-to-gathers,
times of hurried hellos and goodbyes,
quick telephone chats, and promises
of visits to come.
Rare are the times that you have
a one-on-one, uninterrupted, visit with undivided attention.

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This was my gift on Saturday...12 hours with my first born, my 48 year old little girl. Her life is such, that it is difficult to 'nail her down' for 30 minutes, much less 12 whole hours!
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For the past 17 years, Daughter 1 has worked in the field of finance for several companies, beginning her career as a CPA with Peat-Marwick in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She is currently a financial consultant for a Houston concern. Her job involves traveling which puts her "on the go" often. Her children are grown, her husband (the S-I-L who I mention often) farms and she commutes from Houston to home...every weekend!
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If I had been choosing a lifestyle for my daughter, I wouldn't have chosen this particular one, but she and her family have "made it work". And, if they're happy, that makes Nana happy!
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The occasion for the 12-hour gift was a trip to the Metroplex to attend a wedding shower honoring her son and his bride-to-be. Daughter 1 had flown to Lubbock on Friday, rented a car, and drove another 2 1/2 hours to arrive here around 9:30 on Friday night.
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Saturday morning, we were up early, anxious to get on the road plus we had some "panic" shopping to do before we left. Though we both had sent gifts via on-line shopping, you "never go empty-handed".
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Finally, we were on the road...chatting, laughing, joking. We talked about many things...about everything from parenting to politics.
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When I began writing this post, I intended to journal about some of the humorous things that were talked about and laughed about. But it would make it just too long 'a read'. Maybe I'll refer to some of them in later posts. Suffice it to say, I enjoyed my Gift very much. I won't be greedy and expect another one soon, but someday...it will happen.
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Today, Sunday, she will make the drive back to Lubbock to catch her flight back to Houston. Because of my Gift, she missed her time at her home with her husband. But, since he has just begun the harvesting of his cotton, he might have been in the fields anyway.
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Just to let him know...
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I am thankful...