Breaking News

Yesterday, at supper time, Kate fell off the couch and broke her arm.

She's 500 miles away from home, at Grandma's.

My husband is almost completely deaf. My baby is hurting but not wanting to come home. She actually said, on the way to the hospital, "Does this mean I have to go home early?"

Pretty much, I am helpless. I can't make David hear. I couldn't be there for the Xray, the IV, the setting of the tiny, broken 4 year old arm.

And yet. I am OK. We are OK. When I got that "family emergency" phone call at work last night, my mind zipped all over, landing again and again on the planet of Worse Case Scenarios. BUT. It's only a broken arm. The arm will heal. She may be far away from home, but she is with people who love her. David is frustrated and scared and a little lost, but he's here. The important things in life are in clear perspective, and we sleep at night with grateful hearts.

(BTW, my comfort food of choice is Caribou Blend Ice Cream Nuggets. These things are changing. my. life. I could find out that they were made directly from Caribou Poo, and I would still gobble them up, lick my fingers, and go back for more.)

The piece of art David gave me for Christmas comes to mind. It is circular, hangs over our fireplace, and is beautiful. Around the circle it reads:

Our family is a circle of love and strength. With every birth and every union, the circle grows. Every joy shared adds more love. Every crisis faced together makes the circle stronger.

Exactly.