Last week, I left on time two out of three days, and the third was one of those days that just happens in IT where something breaks near the end of the day, and you need to stay and fix it.
Especially if you plan, as I did, on leaving town the next morning.
I went to Minnesota last weekend. Even though the drive was long, it was worth it to get my baby fix in.
She's SO CUTE! She's started walking, hands held out, ready to catch herself when she falls, which she does with some frequency. Thresholds are a challenge, cornering will come next, but neither daunts her. She just picks herself up and moves on.
Oh, I also saw much of the rest of my family at a gathering for my stepmother, who made one of her rare but welcome appearances in town. I talked fast, ate a lot, was glad to see and be seen, and felt like I didn't get to spend enough time with anyone - typical for me at our family gatherings. I leave wishing I could have spent just a few more minutes with this person and that, hearing just a bit more about what's going on in their lives. Did I mention that baby was also there? She was SO CUTE!
Dang, but it was hard to drive away Sunday afternoon, knowing it'll be 2-3 months before I see her again, and I'll have to start all over again to earn her trust. Fortunately for me, her mother rarely lets her have chocolate, which means she's easily bribed.
For whatever reason, until I returned home, I'd blocked my annual remembrance of Mom's death. She died 35 years ago on 9/7. I think it struck just a little too close to home this year. I want my cancer story to have a different ending - but the beginnings are awfully similar. Cancer that looks very treatable, removed and apparently gone. There are a number of key differences - Tamoxifen is a big one. The drug helps keep the cancer from establishing itself anywhere else, and wasn't yet available when she got sick. But it still scares me - her bone cancer seemed to come out of nowhere, just about the time she was out of the woods. I don't think I'll truly breathe easily until I've passed that magic five-year mark - a mark she didn't come close to reaching.
So here's to being healthy enough to make the drive to MN, so I could celebrate family and life and chances to see babies just learning to walk. Now, if I can keep me leaving work on time for the next few weeks, I may even begin to regain some of my energy.
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