Monday, March 3, 2008

the weekend I didnt pick up a needle or hook

if you just want to read about adventures with fiber, this isnt the post for you, but I have something to say and its busting out right this minute. I spent the weekend with my children, in separate little chunks. My son bought his first house. how exciting. 25 years old, buying a house all by himself. I went over Friday nite expecting to clean and spackle and set up his kitchen -- but he and girlfriend were not in the mood for that! so dad and I and little sis shuffled off while he and girlfriend lit a candle in the fireplace and blew up the air mattress - and -- enough said.

then saturday big sis drove up from DC to see bros house. again, we all drove over -- girlfriend had left for work and big sis immediately started cleaning stove. Shes the gourmet in the family, you can read her blog "cook and book" on this site if you dont believe me. so you better believe she jumped in and made sure little brother had a clean stove and oven. and she wandered around his little house exclaiming that she was jealous, that she wanted a house -- she and hubby currently live in a beautiful condo in DC -- and generally making her brother feel great about his purchase

again, not much work got done. it seems girlfriend wants to shop, not spackle. oh well, not my problem. I love the girl, i just hope she loves my son as much as he loves her...

but then, the highlight of the weekend. baby girl (22) and I went to Baltimore. She had a serious illness a year ago -- and suffice it to say, we almost lost her, in more ways than one. The hospital where she was treated sponsored a guest speaker this weekend who I felt we both needed to hear. Understanding that returning to the place that she remembers with mixed feelings would be hard, i decided to sweeten the pot and offer to make it a weekend on the inner harbor. Incredible! Renaissance Harborplace hotel, 4 stars and earned everyone of them. just beautiful and people standing around waiting to be nice to you. we shopped -- and shopped - it was fun to see her pick up things and buy them for herself -- little miss independent. we went to dinner at a great irish pub and got ridiculously drunk -- hoegarden, martinis and shots of tequilla will do that to you. stopped at haagendas for ice cream on our walk back to the hotel and fell into deep, blissful sleep.
Sunday morning breakfast at the watertable restaurant and then we did the aquarium, lots of interesting fishies, but I was disappointed because I thought there was a walk through shark tank, but we still spent 2 hours oohhing and aaahing.

the trip up to the hospital was stressful for her, she went silent and cranky and i struggled with whether to even go, but she said, we're here, just drive in. as we entered the conference center she looked terse and tight. Her formal social worker was sorting papers at the doorway and the smile and light on her face relaxed my daughter immediately. the speaker was wonderful and I managed to keep my mouth shut -- I know my daughter was secretly praying i wouldnt ask any deep ( aka stupid) questions . when the speaker finished my d sprinted to the table where the books were on sale and scooped them up and ran to the table where she was signing books. as she made her way to the table, she asked "were you treated here? is this where you were treated?" and as jes weiner said no, not here , my daughter who doesnt talk about her battle hardly ever said, in the clearest strongest voice i have heard in a long time said "I was, I was a patient here a year ago" .they chatted a bit and I just grinned, happy that we had done this weekend, angry all over again at the forces that caused my daughter to suffer so long and so hard, and grateful to God and the heavens that she was on her way back, slow, steady and with her head held high.

so, needless to say, no time for knitting this weekend, although we were weaving memories, non stop.

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