the thaw

It rained early this morning, Z and L were off to district band, E to a wrestling tournament in Berkley Springs, Dr P to work. A and I were home together ....
"Do you wanna build Leggos dad?"...

A made me eggs on toast for breakfast. We rewired a lamp and ran a new phone line for the computer. I vacuumed the kitchen and cleaned up before Dr P came home from work.

Z and Cody went out hunting in the late afternoon. It had warmed up to the fifties and I went for a conditioning ride on the bike. A rode with me a little ways and Dr P took the hellhounds (all five) for a walk.

On my ride I saw F (one of the neighbor children) walking with his dad. F is Z's age. He is a fine young man and we've watched him grow up from afar. I rode past and waved and he and his father were walking together and sharing the brief warmth from the afternoon sun.

Later I drove Cody home, picked up E from wrestling (he won 4 of 5 matches at the tournament) and came home to dinner. When I arrived Dr P was talking to F's mother who just stopped by to borrow some flour. Later Dr P was so upset as it turns out young F has to undergo major brain surgery Tuesday this week to repair a large cerebral AV malformation .

I had ridden past and smiled and waved, and watched them share each others presence from a distance, and yet I had no understanding, no idea, no real comprehension, of just how much this afternoon, walking together, in the sun, in the beauty of the day, just how much this afternoon must really have meant to F and his father.

At night I read to A, and watched TV with him, and kissed him goodnight,
....and cried prayers for young F.