Favorite son Conor came home last night from college. He had played in his last basketball game of the season and was feeling "free" now that it had come to a close. I, however, was feeling wonderful because he decided to come home.
I can remember when I first got divorced. I used to think that time spent with the kids needed to be a "production"; that I needed to be sure they were entertained etc. I would run myself ragged physically, emotionally and financially to be sure that on "my weekends" things were fabulous. It seemed that things were so BUSY that we never got down time to just be.
The gift that has come with age (both mine and my kids) is that I now realize it isnt about the "production" but is instead about time spent together. This became very clear when Conor and I headed to Vegas for a friend's wedding. Never feeling flush where finances are concerned, I decided we would drive. Conor had just graduated from high school and would be leaving for college at the end of the summer so I figured a road trip was in order. Now, driving from Kansas to Vegas seemed to be a daunting task. Yet, even in the dead of night after driving for hours and hours, we were still having a blast. We did crossword puzzles, listened to books on tape, laughed over the freaks we encountered in gas stations at 3 a.m. and talked, talked, talked. That windshield time was such a gift for me as a mom. In fact, we both agreed that the car time was the best part of the trip.
I have learned to treasure those times with my kids. Case in point was last night ---A simple conversation about life and school over dinner, and a movie on the couch (that I actually stayed awake for)...simple, and yet time that fills my heart.
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