It's a curious term. At least it's curious to me. Isn't winter in upstate New York all about storms? And doesn't winter always come with wind, snow, sleet, and freezing rain? Oh, and below freezing temperatures? Aren't snow tires a necessity? And slippery, snow or ice covered roads a given? Has it really been winter at all without at least one "blizzard"?
When I was a young girl, forecast or not, winter storms typically roared in during the night with plummeting temperatures and swirling mounds of snow. We would lay in bed on week day mornings, ears trained on our radios, waiting for our town to be named in the list of school closings. An unanticipated holiday. A gift from above, in more ways than one. Not so today. Now days school closings are communicated by a call or text to parents, or decided the night before an impending storm is scheduled to arrive.
Today we had a real Snow Day. I went to work like usual because The Daycare never closes. We had one baby today instead of eight, but our toddler room was busy with 8 or 9 little people. The preschoolers combined into one class of about 7 or 8, and I think there were 6 or 7 school age kids. A grand total of about 25, give or take a couple. It was a good morning to visit my toddler friends during breakfast.
I was free to leave work by 1:15 pm and decided to head to Rochester and the pottery studio. I got a great parking place just outside the studio door. I'd bee inside the building less than 5 minutes and was talking with the resident artist who is my current instructor when my phone started to ring. "No one ever calls me..." I told her as I reached for my phone. I glanced at the screen which read "Flower City Art." Ha ha! It was Kate at the front desk in the office calling to tell me my evening class had been cancelled. I stayed to play for a while before heading home for the evening.* I've made a connection with each of my kids this week and have a new sense of peace inside. In all the world there are none who mean more to me than my kids and grandchildren. Taking care of myself means making sure we stay connected.
So glad you made peace with your children..even an uneasy peace is better than nothing.
ReplyDeleteLove that you were able to leave daycare early and play a bit. xo Diana
It's not necessarily that we have had disagreements, only that we haven't felt connected. Fallout from all the other family issues... But I need my kids. My heart is peaceful when I have that connection.
DeleteThat's funny about the call canceling your pottery class...
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you got to play a bit too.
Yay, great connections with your family and so happy you are taking care of your self.
Stay safe in those Winter Storms.
Sue
The call felt like a good joke on both Kate and myself. How ironic. Ha ha!
DeleteI was out in the snow this morning, but I am back home for the night now.
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Martha, I was just telling my kids today how we used to huddle around the radio and listen for the school closings...for me it was, " North Syracuse, Public and Parochial Schools, now closed..." that started the happy dances. When we started having kids, we didn't have a television until our ninth was nine months old, so we still listened to the radio for the closing of Cato Meridian. Now, we get texts and emails. I'm glad to hear you're connecting with your kids. Nothing makes the universe more off-kilter than not having that connection. You need them, and they need you too. I think in larger families, each "kid", no matter how old, needs to know that mom loves them and is proud of them. :)
ReplyDeleteWay back in the day we probably heard Cato Meridian in the list of closings. It took F-O-R-E-V-E-R to get to the bottom of the list and Webster Central Schools. We learned patience while listening. LOL! ANd then we moved to Williamson and had a just slightly longer wait. Ha ha! Texts and emails just aren't as much fun, but then again I don't have much need to listen anymore. So sad.
Delete"Off-kilter" is a good way of putting the disconnected feeling. They need me (even when I think perhaps they don't) and I need them.
Hi Martha. Connections are so important. I didn't realize our Julie felt left out in days daily numbers. She lives further away, and I just didn't think she would be interested. But now that she had a working car...she's coming every Thursday to give me a break. She loves getting my text each morning giving Dad's numbers. Weight, blood pressure..what meds have changed..Dr. appt. etc...good to be connected with our kid. My lifeline!!
ReplyDeleteWanda, I'm so glad you got that connection with Julie again too. Happy she can give you a "for Me" break on Thursdays.
DeleteConnections are so important...now if only we could..You, Me and Martha could do that too.
Wouldn't that be fun?
Wanda, we all need to be needed. It validates us being part of the group/family. I am happy for both you and Julie that she is connected to Don's care.
DeleteSue, that would be incredible!
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