Connections

Today I had to haul Gleek out of a church meeting. She was working herself into a tantrum because she’d forgotten her colored pencils at home. It was one of many irritations that took place in the morning. I took Gleek and shut both of us in an empty classroom where we both cried a little until we felt better. Then we went back for the rest of the meeting. I helped my kids give talks in their primary meeting. Then I sat through the adult lessons.

After church was still feeling grumpy and sad and stressed. I followed Patches home which is never a quick process because he has to walk carefully on all the curbs and climb this one special rock and jump off of it. These things can not be skipped nor hurried. If they are not done right, they must be done again.

Our home teacher stopped by for his monthly visit about an hour after church. I was not thrilled when he made the appointment. I much prefer having home teachers over when Howard is here because Howard can talk to anybody. I don’t like awkward silences with people I don’t know well. I think I’ve gotten better at building conversations because the home teacher was here for 40 minutes and there wasn’t a single awkward silence. And it wasn’t because I babbled. Instead I asked good questions that led him to tell me about the surveyor work that he does. It was really interesting and he volunteered to show some of it to my Webelos den sometime. I felt much better after he left.

I spent some time watching About A boy. I really enjoyed the movie. It is not what I expected and I came away feeling happier.

Later this evening was the church potluck dinner. The people who usually host it were gone, so our cul de sac was in charge instead. Our yards are not nearly as beautiful, but I think the potluck went well anyway. I know it was exactly what I needed. I needed a chance to talk to other people and feel like I’m not alone in the challenges I face. It was wonderful to talk and laugh with grown ups.

All of this ties together with the theme from About A Boy: no man is an island. We find the solutions to our problems by helping solve the problems of others. It is our connectedness that heals us and gives us strength to go on. This morning I was miserable because Howard is gone and I felt alone. This evening Howard is still gone, but I feel much happier because I spent time connecting with other good people who face the same sorts of challenges that I face. I was able to suggest things that might help them. They made suggestions that might help me. I’m so happy to have a web of connections in this neighborhood.

I still miss Howard though.