Summer continues. I’m taking a break from an experiment with four kids, a watermelon, and a bazillion rubber bands. It’s about to get messy.
Benjamin’s back hurt this morning. He said it felt like it did “that time in the hospital.” Of course I knew what he meant, and watched him like a hawk this morning. I offered to call the clinic for the okay to give Tylenol but he refused. By late afternoon the complaints stopped, and he was playing at full speed again.
We met our family for lunch at a new restaurant owned by sweet friends. While we were there, I was introduced to the president of the local arm of the All Children’s Guild, the fundraising machine for the hospital. She was lovely, and we talked for several minutes about the organization, and how wonderful the hospital has been for Benji. She told me about luncheons coming up and initiatives they’ve undertaken. I observed my inner reactions to her words very closely. My wheels were turning; I was thinking of so many ways I could connect my former fundraising world with this new one, connecting agencies and providing a safety net for at risk mothers whose children became critically ill. I resisted the temptation to volunteer my time, for now. My time, for now, belongs to my family.
Once this watermelon explodes, I will be baking my 18th birthday cake as a mother. I’m thankful for my motherhood, thankful for Banyan’s eleven trips around the sun, and thankful that Benjamin can participate fully in the weekend’s festivities.