The Appointment that Missed Me, and New York Grandma

Today I had an appointment that missed me. Sometimes, I am the one to reschedule an appointment. This time, the appointment rescheduled on me.

That's okay.

I was thinking about it as I drove away, mentally adjusting my schedule like one of those little puzzles we used to play with as kids - the square ones with lots of tiny squares inside, and only one or two empty spots - moving and sliding to get the picture to make sense...

I stopped by the vet's, and got dealt a lesson by a vivacious and quite foul-mouthed senior citizen!

New York Grandma (NYG for short) good-naturedly, but forcefully, made it a point to tell the receptionist how old she really is ("I was born in 1935. My husband survived the holocaust; I ain't afraid of sh--!"); the receptionist complied with the requisite "no way, you look 60!!"

And it was off to the races.

NYG regaled us all (I now a willing hostage; my business wasn't finished; add to that, the fact that I am addicted to peoplewatching and can't resist a natural born story teller) with a tale of 9/11.

Her son Danny is a NYC cop; he was scheduled to go to the World Trade Center on 9-11; she and her husband were driving when they heard the news of 9-11; she went hysterical in the car ("Danny's gone!! Danny's gone!!"); she spoke to her other son who reassured her that he was probably alright because he always runs late ("can't never keep an appointment"); Danny finally called her 7 hours later ("Seven hours later!! Can you believe that?! I let him have it! Blue streak blankety blank blank!!); the blankety blank blanks weren't blank - she treated us all to the full unedited force of her tongue.

End of story: two weeks later she touched down at JFK, got off the plane (she acted this out for us); Danny was there in full dress uniform with two other of New York's finest; she slapped him so hard across the face he nearly fell. She then offered to teach me some tricks to use on my kids, the same ones she uses to bring Danny to the floor even now ("He's 230 and I'm 115, but I still bring him to the floor!").

I said no thank you.

Danny missed his appointment on 9/11 because he was running late.

Good thing.

Why do we miss appointments? Why do they miss us? Don't know.

It's a mystery. But it's okay. Really.

Today

For the record, I want to state that there are a lot of very good things happening in the world today.

No denying, there seems to be an infinite number of bad things.

But for the record, for today, I know for a fact that people are helping people all over this world today. People are loving and forgiving and deciding.

So be encouraged. If you don't see it in your immediate vicinity, look harder.

Kick for Us

Hi Everyone. So I just spent more than an hour putting Ben and Faith to bed. Twice. Three times. Why?
They both had stuff on their minds!! Faith got up and told me she had "pain" and pointed to her chest... her way of expressing emotional discomfort. Ben was thinking about school and couldn't sleep either. So I took turns with them as the comforter/pychologist/on-the-inside-pleading-help-I-don't-have-a-clue-how-to-help-them mother.
Bottom line - Ben's stuff easier to deal with.
Faith? Tears and sorrow, deep breathing and philosophical discussion because she's afraid I will die.

I remember so clearly feeling the same way about my mother when I was a kid. Horrible uncontrollable panicky fear.

Made me think though.
Every life is so significant. I wonder, does everybody realize just how much potential they have? Any idea how important they actually are?

Just feel like stirring everybody up.
We live such self-absorbed lives. It's okay to feel and need and want... We're wired that way.

But we're also wired especially well to give, to care for, to accompany!
So I wonder, what is each one doing to make life better for someone else who is really going through a tough time?

What about volunteering as a Big Brother or Big Sister for the kids who are living with struggling single parents or grandmas, caregivers plagued by guilt because they can't take their kids to the park - they are too busy working to try to pay some of the bills?
Or volunteering in hospitals or hospices where there are people who are so lonely they can't speak from the ache?
Or saving for a trip to some other place, to help those that are trapped in poverty, but at this moment are praying for some lifeline they can grab on to to pull themselves and their families out of despair?

There's no good reason why not!!
Everybody can be the answer to someone's prayer.
There is always someone who is hurting more than we are. Always.

And we know how they feel, don't we? Haven't we all had moments when a friend or a stranger blessed us in such a way that we started to feel hope again?

Or am I the only one that has experienced the loss and restoration of hope?
I don't think so.
You know who you are.

Get off your butt.
Who me?
Yup, all us me's.