Circles of Understanding

I love moments where I see a connection happening between one of my parents and one of my children.  I'm so lucky to be sandwiched in between such great people.

My parents came down for a quick visit, so Timothy and I took them to the Hoover Dam (since, you know, that's kind of what you do in Boulder City).

Did you know that if you slowly dump water out of a water bottle over the dam that the water will fly up and hit you in the face?  It's true. We did it.

I also love moments when my parents teach me something... like that those weird giant stabber things sitting next to the grill when we moved in were actually rotisserie hooks, and that you can buy whole chickens in regular grocery stores and cook them on your own grill Costco Rotisserie Chicken style.   None of us had done it before, but it was a.m.a.z.i.n.g!  So juicy and flavorful!  

We let the kids have the chicken for dinner that night and we adults hopped into my dad's spiffy convertible to travel down to the strip for dinner and a show.

Brian and I had fun with my parents, and we came home happy and full to a quiet, clean house. I felt blessed for two reasons: first, that I have such wonderful parents that I enjoy spending time with, and second, that I have such wonderful kids who are happy and willing to let us go for an evening.  The kids had had fun... they made dinner, ate dessert, watched movies, and cleaned everything up.  McKenzie put all three boys to bed and then climbed into bed herself to read until she, too, fell fast asleep.

I remember those nights when I was a 12-year-old drifting to sleep in my bed after an evening of babysitting. I remember drifting back into consciousness - just a little - when my mother, back from her evening out, opened my bedroom door and tiptoed across the room...  I remember the smell of Party on her as she bent to kiss my cheek - fresh make-up, hairspray, fabric softener, a dab of perfume...  I remember the feeling of love I felt towards her in that half-conscious state, happy she had gone to have a good time, and happy she was back.

I never even thought to wonder about what she felt in those dark, quiet moments...

I'm so proud of McKenzie. I opened her bedroom door and tiptoed across the room.  I watched her sleep for a moment and marveled at the young woman she is becoming.  I noticed the smell of Party on her as I bent to kiss her cheek - sweat, dirty hair, mac 'n' cheese, rotisserie chicken...  I was so full of love and appreciation, happy to have gone to have a good time, and so very happy to be back.

The next morning, my parents drove away while Timothy and I stood in the driveway waving good bye.  I paid attention to the way my heart pulled for them to come back - just for a moment - while their car got smaller and smaller.  I noticed the happy feelings in my heart that lingered long after they had disappeared, and I noticed the gratitude I felt that they had taken the time to come.

This time I thought to wonder about what they felt.

Someday, when McKenzie stands with her child and waves goodbye to me, maybe I'll know.

Timothy and I walked back inside the house and threw our efforts into packing the family for our ski trip, and a few hours later we were ready to roll.  But thankfully, very thankfully, before we rolled out for the weekend I found that the children had stored the delicious leftover rotisserie chicken carcass from the night before safely in the microwave.