Another Interlude

On the day after September 11, 2001, I wrote a piece called, "Interlude in Wonderland." Some of my friends who read this blog might remember it. I had a lunch date with Little One on September 11, and I went from the chaos and tension of the middle school where I worked at the time, to the blissful innocence of Little One's elementary school, where the administration had wisely decided it was up to the parents to decide whether or not to tell their children what had happened, and how to go about it. The school was amazingly normal, calm, peaceful, and full of little smiling faces. It was amazingly healing for me. What a gift from God to allow me that time!

I have had another interlude this week. Friends/neighbors/members of our church had a death in the immediate family and had to travel 3 states for the funeral. Taking their 2-year-old and 4(and-a-half!)-year-old sons seemed a daunting task. Having a pretty flexible schedule, and loving to Nana (verb) any children available, I offered to move in for 3 days and keep the boys so the young wife could go down and be with her husband. DH and Little One generously went for it, despite some minor inconveniences.

Staying in this home with the boys was my pleasure and delight. The mom is THE best housekeeper I have ever observed, and I had 3 whole days to study her organization. The boys are sooo sweet and unspoiled -- meaning, unspoiled by the world. They are basically sugar-free, commercial-free, sweet-spirited and happy little boys. I was away from the distractions of my life (ie, email and politics) for 3 days, wrapped in a happy little cocoon.

I am back home now and very pensive as to what changes I can make here so that the things that distract, bother and worry me here, can make a big EXIT from our life.

I did not realize that this simple gesture to the family would become a gift to me, but it did. How cool is God.