Our
Journey:
Journey:
Avalon's Army of Angels
| July 24, 2008 A zoo to fix what's ailing you... |
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Subject: A zoo to fix what's ailing you...
Thankfully, I didn't have much time to bury myself in
negativity. On Wed, July 23, a dear friend from way
back in college days, arrived for a visit. This visit
had been planned months ago, long before the May
shunt surgery. We never presumed in a billion
years, that it would fall when I needed it most,
between two additional surgeries.
Anne is one of my long-time, part-of-the-family
friends. We may only see each other every few
years, but every time she steps into the house, its
like she never left. She picks up with my kids, as if
she's seen them every day of their lives. And even if
its been months since we've had time to have a
lengthy phone conversation, I have never felt one
ounce of distance from her. She's comfortable, she's
warm, she's family.
Usually, we've spent time with Anne on her way to
and from her parents' home in Wisconsin. Anne has
lived in Washington DC for years. Columbus makes
a great halfway point from DC to Madison, WI. At
least, I've always lobbied for it!
This time was different. Anne came to town just to
spend time with us. No few hours after a drive, this
was several dedicated days to just hang out. It
couldn't have been timed any better!
Anne arrived Wed afternoon. We spent the evening
pigging out on Chinese take-out and drinking
margaritas. (don't margaritas and Chinese always
go together?) We chatted, laughed, and caught up
on all those little details we never get time to talk
about. Oh, the little things, like introducing her to my
21 mo old son, whom she's never seen? In all, it was
a fun night.
The next day, we headed off to the zoo, to meet
another one of her local friends, and to show her
what's changed at the zoo in the last few years.
Besides, with a zoo pass, its a cheap way to pretend
you've done something big and fancy.
As I said in the title, there should always be a zoo, to
help fix what's ailing you. How can you be glum,
when your son is stalking goats? How can you worry
about the future, when your daughter finds a new
"bestest best friend"? (even if she couldn't
remember the friend's name - and insisted on calling
her "Friend") And how, my darlings, can you
possibly have a bad day when your entire family is
decked out in matching tye-dyed outfits? Its simply
against the laws of nature. If you need a
smile...dress like a hippy, watch your son try to feed
a goat its own poo, and watch a baby duck eat the
strawberry your lunchmate's toddler accidentally
launched. If you can't smile through that...there's no
hope for you.
Its all good at the zoo.......
Thankfully, I didn't have much time to bury myself in
negativity. On Wed, July 23, a dear friend from way
back in college days, arrived for a visit. This visit
had been planned months ago, long before the May
shunt surgery. We never presumed in a billion
years, that it would fall when I needed it most,
between two additional surgeries.
Anne is one of my long-time, part-of-the-family
friends. We may only see each other every few
years, but every time she steps into the house, its
like she never left. She picks up with my kids, as if
she's seen them every day of their lives. And even if
its been months since we've had time to have a
lengthy phone conversation, I have never felt one
ounce of distance from her. She's comfortable, she's
warm, she's family.
Usually, we've spent time with Anne on her way to
and from her parents' home in Wisconsin. Anne has
lived in Washington DC for years. Columbus makes
a great halfway point from DC to Madison, WI. At
least, I've always lobbied for it!
This time was different. Anne came to town just to
spend time with us. No few hours after a drive, this
was several dedicated days to just hang out. It
couldn't have been timed any better!
Anne arrived Wed afternoon. We spent the evening
pigging out on Chinese take-out and drinking
margaritas. (don't margaritas and Chinese always
go together?) We chatted, laughed, and caught up
on all those little details we never get time to talk
about. Oh, the little things, like introducing her to my
21 mo old son, whom she's never seen? In all, it was
a fun night.
The next day, we headed off to the zoo, to meet
another one of her local friends, and to show her
what's changed at the zoo in the last few years.
Besides, with a zoo pass, its a cheap way to pretend
you've done something big and fancy.
As I said in the title, there should always be a zoo, to
help fix what's ailing you. How can you be glum,
when your son is stalking goats? How can you worry
about the future, when your daughter finds a new
"bestest best friend"? (even if she couldn't
remember the friend's name - and insisted on calling
her "Friend") And how, my darlings, can you
possibly have a bad day when your entire family is
decked out in matching tye-dyed outfits? Its simply
against the laws of nature. If you need a
smile...dress like a hippy, watch your son try to feed
a goat its own poo, and watch a baby duck eat the
strawberry your lunchmate's toddler accidentally
launched. If you can't smile through that...there's no
hope for you.
Its all good at the zoo.......
| I'm the pudgy one on the left. Across the back its my oldest daughter, Aurora, then my son, Anam. Next is the visiting Anne and her friend, Donna. Donna is holding her son, Ferris. On the tiger from L to R are Amira, Donna's daughter, Ambrosia, and with the incision-covering scarf - Avalon. |
| You just have to love the lorikeets! They dress like us!!! |