Not everybody would get this, but if you’re a mom, I’m fairly certain you will. Everybody knows my Meghan Lee was here for eight days. She’s gone, four days already. It’s harder than I’d have believed. I should be used to it; my daughters live on opposite coasts, I’m in the middle and this is a pretty big country. I’m proud of them, proud that they have the skills and the confidence to head out into the world, to follow their dreams, to create interesting and rewarding lives. But the “missing” doesn’t go away just because I understand how things are.
Being a mom, I have ways 🙂 This one is simple. Before her visit, I’d prepared her room, had help, even, from my cousin, Susan. The bedding was washed and hung on the line to dry – the way Meghan likes it. Now that she’s back in her own home, I’m not doing the typical post-guest clean-up. Im not pulling her bed apart and washing all the linen. It’s staying just as it is and when I’m in need of a Meghan fix, I’ll lie down on her bed and bury my face in her pillow. Heck, I may throw back the comforter and crawl right in.
That’s the part that moms will understand. Being me, I won’t dwell on the “missing” piece. I spent part of this morning organizing and editing the 62 best photos of our days together, posted a couple on Facebook, started a new album. Had a couple e-mail conversations with Meghan, sent her two favorite photos. In true Meghan fashion, she sent me back a humorous list she’s creating for work.
Life goes on. There’s school, work, acres of lawn that should be mowed ahead of tomorrow’s predicted rain. A 10-page paper on a book I’ve yet to finish is due in four days and there’s a test to take before Sunday. A family birthday celebration is on the calendar yet this week and a fundraiser dinner, which is just going to have to be axed. The French have a saying, Tu connaît la musique. Literally translates to: You know the music; used conversationally, it’s you know the deal, the routine, and that’s what keeps us all moving despite how we may feel at any given moment.
I do, indeed, know the music – I’m savoring the memories, making a collage, organizing the photos, cherishing the time and tucking it away into this mother’s heart. And that, my friends, is a mom thing. Enjoy the photo and smile with me.
