Lessons from the grocery store

A friend recently e-mailed me and said, 'No blogging?'.  No. No blogging.  Also, no cleaning, no laundry done, no groceries, no time for fun, no, no, no. Too much sickness, work, and general winter blues. 

But things have shaken loose as they always do. I just forget that sometimes.

Two years have passed since bringing our daughter to our home. It is good to have this much time to look back on and realize the growing we have all done.  And then sometimes I forget how much her life has changed as I go about my daily business of the to-dos of my life. 

Nick, Yammi and I were looking at yogurt in the grocery store aisle.  Nick, in his usual way of talking before thinking, was blithely telling Yammi, "Aren't you so lucky you get to have this mom?" (or something to that effect that would have maybe made me feel good if I hadn't almost had a panic attack looking over at Yammi waiting to see her reaction). 

She was casually hanging over the cart handle and said very matter-of-fact, "You know, Nick, I didn't want to leave my mom in Ethiopia."  And just like that, my panic was gone. That's my girl.  She took it head on and with no guilt in saying it. 

I was so happy she said it.  That she could articulate her feelings quickly and with no worries about my reaction.  I simply said, 'Of course you didnt' want to leave her. We love your mommy in Ethiopia." Later that night while tucking her in, I reminded her again to never be scared to talk about her mommy in Ethiopia. She shook her head and hugged me tight. It is still hard.

She skipped down the aisle and asked for some prosciutto in her lunch tomorrow.

The toughest girl I know loves her expensive Italian meats. She fits us like a glove.