Don’t Leave Home Without It

Casey and Kenny and I were off again this past weekend for another conference, this time for The Clapham Institute.   We decided, after last weekend’s debacle of me missing all of the events, that Casey would go on Friday for the first half, and Kenny and I would join him on Saturday at lunch, when my Mom, who was attending as a guest with my Dad, would watch Kenny for the evening so that I could attend the final lectures and dinner.  

There’s a really funny story about the drive Kenny and I experienced out to the retreat location, but I’ll need to recount it later, as not enough time has passed to make me see the humor in it.   (In a nutshell, there are two Inns with the same name on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, about two hours away from each other… I  showed up  right on time  to the wrong one.   Ha Ha.)

But the part of the weekend that I did manage to be present for was really fantastic.   Critical thinking and conversations are something that I love to take part in, yet don’t get to do as often as I’d like.   No matter how I try, all of the Mommy conversations always seem to revert back to diapers, diets and milestones.   But every minute of the twenty or so hours I was there was packed with converstations that stretched my brain, kindled my imagination and jolted me into paying attention so that I could participate coherantly.   It was definitely not a weekend to check my brains at the door.

And oh how I needed that!!   It reminded me that I can be quite inclined to critical thinking, I only need the discipline to practice it.

Kenny was a dream kid throughout the trip.   He is such a blessing, such a joy.   On our drive home, we somehow mis-timed lunch and he started to ask for everything he could pronounce… crackers, waffles, apples, and juice.   As I had nothing in the car but a bag of trail mix, we pulled off at a McDonalds and shared a sandwich.   There is something so uniquely charming about Kenny whenever we are in a public place to eat, just he and I.   He seems to know that it’s something a little different, even a little special, and we sit close and keep our heads together, smiling and giggling.   He was a tough cookie when we got home, though.   All the travel and a not great night of sleep caught up to him.   He’s just a little guy, after all.

Days like this, from the conference to the drive home to the afternoon challenges, make me want to be not just a better Mom, but a better woman.   It makes me want to work harder and be more patient and cherish every moment.   How did I come to be so blessed with this precious boy?   Works alone could never make me deserving of all that I have; all I can do it be grateful to my Creator and strive each day to be the woman He created me to be.