Wednesday Selfie ~ What We Need

When my children were younger and still at home, we had a very busy household. Nothing really unusual: car pooling, running to watch baseball games (totally annoyed when our ‘star player’ sat out), usual household stuff, full time job, traveling (for the full time job), and volunteer work, you get the picture.

Part of my organizational regimen was keeping a calendar in the kitchen. Everyone was obligated to note their events on it so Paul and I could make certain we knew where we were going at any given time. The calendar provided us with a clear view of who could cover what for whom. Every December for the holidays, one gift I could count on was a calendar for the new year.

One year, the kids got me a calendar system. It fit conveniently on the fridge door. It had a calendar and a wipey board.  Now not only did we have a calendar to manage our events, now we had a place to write down the grocery list. Being organized, I labeled a section, What We Need. At any given time I would find things like milk, cereal, someone's favorite dessert, or my husband’s request for liquid plumber.

I had been away on a two week business trip overseas. My return flight got me home late. After kisses and hugs, the kids went upstairs to finish their homework while I made myself something to eat and sat at the kitchen table with Paul. He caught me up on things going on at home and I caught him up on my trip. While we spoke I started the grocery list and I went to the fridge to see what was on the What We Need list. I stood there a moment and read what the kids had jotted down.

What We Need
Milk
A dog
Cereal
Bananas
Time with Mom
Strawberries

I smiled at the request for a dog. That was an on-going discussion. It reminded me of the time the kids set the table for dinner and put every stuffed dog they had everywhere in the dining room. There was one hugging the back of Paul’s chair, one hanging from the chandelier, another stuffed in my water glass. We laughed. But that's another story.

It was the Time with Mom that brought me to tears.

I was concerned that when they grew up and were on their own we would lose that connection. Now, years later, they all have busy schedules working and with their families. It's wonderful that Time with Mom hasn't really changed. All three call Paul and I as well as each other on their way home from work.