First Things First

Since 9/11, the first thing I do when I come back from a trip, as soon as the plane taxies to the gate, is call my daughter. It's one of our rituals. The second ritual, oftentimes planned before I even leave on a trip, is to set up time to reconnect, hang out, catch up – a way of re-filling the sensory input – seeing, hearing, touching – bringing my world home again. Home. (More on that later – I realize it's another blog post.)

Part of the plan always includes Hayleigh (my granddaughter) spending the night with me. Tonight I sat with her curled up in my lap as we watched the
Backyardagains DVD (her fav). Holding her, feeling the toddler softness
of her skin, smellng her post-bath scent, beholding her innocence and
the easy way she loves and trusts the moment – I feel so grateful for
the fresh reminder of the natural order of things. I feel full and thankful  – for my life and for her presence in it.

Right now, it's 4:32 am, my sleep pattern is still skewed from all the different time zones – Houston to 

Paris for a day, to Johannesburg for 2 days, to Durban for one day, to Cape Town for 5 days to Johannesburg for half a day to Paris for a day to New York City for 5 days to Houston. (More about the NYC More to Life Weekend later – when I get the pictures.) Hayleigh is asleep beside me – her little body all stretched out, arms above her head, plastered against my side. Life is good.

Pics – Rebecca (grandson en utero) and Hayleigh a couple of weeks ago. Hayleigh – a typical pic.

PS Troy (husband, father, son-in-law, is out of town at the moment – his travel schedule rivals mine. But he is definitely included in the 'must see' category.