Home At Last

Mom is back!! Thank goodness. I don't know if any of us could have made it much longer. I realized a long time ago that she is truly the rock on which our family stands, but having her be 2500 miles away for the past 24 days made that all the more clear. I am glad that she was able to spend some time visiting and caring for her parents. I know that they appreciate it and that she needs to do it for her own peace of mind. But, did I say how glad I am that she's home. My boys and especially my nephew have missed her. She is such a wonderful grandma and the boys just adore her. Josh kept count of how many days she was gone and how many until she got back. Needless to say, he wasn't thrilled when she decided to stay longer than planned. My sister missed her for many reasons, but mostly because she had to find alternative child care for my nephew who would rather be with grandma and has repeatedly let her know it. And I was beginning to worry about my dad. His frozen meals were almost depleted and the refrigerator was empty except for butter, ketchup, and some wilty hot dogs that I hope he didn't resort to eating. Sure, he went to the store, but all he bought was shrimp and the makings for hillbilly coolers. And I missed her so much more than I anticipated. She goes back east twice a year and spends ten to fourteen days so I really didn't think too much about this trip being any different. But when two weeks stretched into three, I began to realize just how much I was missing our daily phone calls and biweekly (or more) visits at her house. The older I get the more I appreciate her wisdom and love.
So she's home and we are all glad. We are all so glad for so many reasons. We have all come to understand a little clearer what she means to our family day in and day out. And besides that, we really didn't want Pizza Hut for Thanksgiving dinner!