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mara williams
on May 21 2013 - 06:00 AM
Summer break has this mom on a house upkeep war path.
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Lindsay Metcalf
on May 21 2013 - 06:00 AM
When that tornado siren sounds, I'm in the basement
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Pushing the cart through my favorite grocery store, I am mentally checking off the items I need to buy. Green beans, tater tots, and cream of mushroom soup top the list. Lots of fresh fruit for a salad, graham crackers for pie crust and sweet stuff for lemon pie filling will make a great ending for a meal. I survey my cart, making sure I have everything I need.
I want this impromptu dinner to be perfect, since it is a Father’s Day dinner.
It all started here, on this forum. I read a post the other day, posing the question about how we appreciate our dads, our kids’ dads, or the important men in our lives. It made me think of my own dad, my late grandfather, the kids’ papa and of course, their dad. I have carefully tucked away the good memories I have from when I was growing up, and hold on to those. I wondered what memories the kids carried of their father.
A day or two later, during dinner conversation, I asked the boys what their favorite memory of their dad was. You see, long periods of time go in-between visits with him, even though my ex-husband and I have joint custody. We make do, and the kids try to make the most of anytime they might get to spend with him. For my sons, they have no memories of him pre-divorce. They were too young, but they remember well the weekend their grandfather took them, their father included, for a weekend of fun in Branson.
All this dad talk spurred Simon to give his father a call. There have been times in the past when this couldn’t happen; we weren’t sure how to get hold of him. So to be at this place, it is good. Listening to Simon, his excitement in-containable, his words bubbling out into the cell phone, inside I was quietly thanking God for this moment. When his older brother talked, it was a more stoic, careful conversation, but I know he was glad he could talk to him.
Later, Simon was still talking about his dad. More Father’s Day talk and finally, the words I was waiting, maybe dreading to hear.
“Can I see dad on Father’s Day?” Leave it to my more sentimental boy-child to need to celebrate his dad.
So, here I am, planning a meal of tater-tot casserole, green beans, and fruit salad. I think freezer lemon pie for dessert will be refreshing. Fancy, no, but hearty yes, for a father and his fiancé, a nana and a papa and I think maybe my daughter’s boyfriend. Calls have been made, inviting the guests of honor. The house is being cleaned in hopes that nobody is inhaling dog and cat hair.
While I am finishing the shopping, I send good thoughts and prayers over the ingredients that will nourish us Saturday night. Not only because I worry that the food won’t taste good, or I will burn the tot casserole, but also because of what this night can bring for my family. Memories of their dad, being honored by the kids he helped bring into the world, the kids who love him with that unconditional love that children seem to have mastered.
You have a really good spirit considering the situation. It would be a better world if everyone could step outside themselves and think only of their children and not their personal feelings on this day. Bless you for keeping a healthy attitude. And......your tot casserole will be wonderful. The kids will be so excited you could feed them peanut butter and they wouldn't notice! Enjoy the day!
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