As I compose this long overdue posting to my blog, I am content hearing in the background the sound of the two sweetest little voices in the whole wide world. David and Elizabeth are busily playing school (or is it cards? or Candyland?) in the hallway. Honey, our new kitty, is munching happily away on her evening can of cat vittles, and the dogs, I think, are lounging lazily downstairs.
I stayed home from work today to give myself a day's rest to recuperate from a bit of oral surgery on Friday. The pain is very manageable, but the swelling makes me look like I'm storing small acorns in my cheeks for the winter. Spending the better part of my day with my feet up and my head down was a good thing.
When I finally arose at around 4:30 this afternoon, got the cobwebs out of my head and ran a comb through my hair before getting the kids from school, I sat at my computer to check in on email to and learn of the latest disturbing news of the world as posted on CNN. It was at this moment when I reminded, once again, that kismet exists, and that God, in his/her mysterious way, intervenes at just the right moment.
I was about to click on a CNN link to read the story of the horrible massacre of 45 women and children in Syria, when my cell phone rang. It was one of Elizabeth's teachers.
"Janel?" she said, "Elizabeth wants to talk to you!"
"Oh, okay! Please put her on!," I replied, hoping that Elizabeth wasn't terribly ill, injured or otherwise.
A pause, a shuffle of the phone receiver, and then, "MOMMY????"
It was my Lizzy, with her sweet little voice sounding shaken and sad.
"Hi, Punkie! What's up?"
"Mommy, I miss you!" Elizabeth cried.
I listened to those four words. I looked at my computer screen, with the Syrian story glaring me in the face.
Her teacher got back on the phone, and explained that Elizabeth indicated she had a tummy ache and had a bit of (ahem) tummy trouble earlier in the afternoon. I told her, "I'm on my way. Right now."
I was out the door in four minutes. While I can't help the poor little angels in Syria whose lives were cut unbearably short over the weekend, I could help a small, almost five-year-old little girl who missed her momma and wanted nothing more than a hug from me.
Elizabeth was feeling well enough to go out to dinner tonight to support the monthly dinner fundraiser that is held for her school at a local Mexican restaurant. While we were there, I learned from another friend of mine of the very sudden and unexpected death of a former co-worker from Scripps. She was my age, has two young kids (middle- and high-school aged), and had been at Scripps for years. We have no idea what happened. I assume the worst.
And I am so lucky that I still get to hug my kids and, currently, listen to David give Elizabeth a drum concert while she practices counting from 1-100 the third time this evening.
