My mom used to tell me to marry someone that I could imagine going grocery shopping with. Changing poopy diapers with. Getting a mortgage and a minivan with. I think she used the word "daily" several times in one sentence.
Yeah right, mom.
I obviously wanted more. I was shopping for stars-on-the-beach, gulp-down-the-sunrise, emotional-communion-every-second and then some. More.
Some great thing, you know?
And now I am sitting here at the end of another typical Saturday. I went grocery shopping, made tomorrow’s lasagna and froze some soup. Cleaned out the cupboard. Went to the post office. Changed seven diapers. Ate too many chips, yada, yada.
Matt mowed the lawn. Vacuumed out the car. Bought the wrong hardware at Home Depot, practiced Beethoven's Pathetique on the piano and sometime mid-afternoon decided that it was absolutely imperative that he needed to make a bench for our living room out of some old 2 by 4s in our garage (????).
No big plans tonight. No good movies to watch. None of our friends are available to play games. Our kids are too tired to take to a baseball game. Matt has resorted to watching Obama ads on YouTube….
But as I was plinking my way through Where Can I Turn for Peace Madeline woke up screaming for her mommy. So I went in her room and picked her up. Sat in the rocking chair and waited for her breathing to morph from crying hiccups to slow, sleepy ins and outs. I held her longer than I normally do. Tried to keep her damp bath hair from plastering to her forehead. Tried to mirror my breathing with hers. Listened to Matt’s Beethoven through the closed door.
I thought about my mother. And Naaman in the river Jordan. And some great thing. And daily.
And you're right, mom. So right.
About everything except the minivan.
6 comments:
Wow, you are a great writer! I loved the flow of your blog entry. I am so used to technical writing that "real" writing is just so beautiful to me now. It just jumps out at me. Oh, and I like the bench. A body has to have a place to rest its bottom.
Shelley, it's a gift, it really is. The writing. That husband. Your ability to soothe your Maddy. I love 'hearing' you and am so happy that life is as it should be for the McConkies. I feel like I just married an 'every day'er, and know that it's true happiness not just now or whimsically, but every day.
Come to DC soon.
OH MY GOSH, AND I JUST REMEMBERED I STILL HAVE YOUR TEMPLE BAG!!! I'll SEND IT RIGHT AWAY. ACK!
Thanks for the peek into life at Pinecrest Drive. I love checking it each week for a "visit".
Mom Mc
Shelley, so nice to hear how you are doing. You guys are in a beautiful part of the world. I linked you to my brand new blog, hope that is okay. I've put several people's blog links on mine, then decided I should probably let them know. Anyways, glad things are smooth.
Shelley, I love this post. So glad I checked in with you guys... when are you coming to NY again?? Please don't make us wait until Christmas.
I don't know about the bench, but this is beautiful. We need to get you published! Love, Mom
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