HOME ALONE
Bill and I just returned from a week long trip to paradise. No, we didn't indulge in the romance of a Caribbean cruise, nor did we visit the sandy beaches of a honeymoon destination such as Cancun. The truth is, we never had to leave the comfort of our living room to discover the sweet surrender of solace.
Recently, as luck would have it, both of our daughter's separate summer getaways fell on the same week. Katie's trip to Ireland coincided with Jaime's trip to California. Both girls gone at the same time meant only one thing to Bill and I - We were HOME ALONE!
Not since we were blessed with the pitter-patter of little feet, have we ever known the complete freedom of being completely on our own. Had we died and went to Home Alone Heaven? We were definitely headedin the direction of another realm and time, the likes of which we were certain didn't exist.
There we were indulging in take out for two, in front of the t.v. The remote was ours, all ours, and we never once clicked in the direction of MTV. The ringing of the phone signaled another luxury. It meant that the phone was for one of us and we could actually carry on a conversation without the shadow of a teen-ager lurking close by. Oh, the glory of a kitchen that stays just the way you left it - Clean! And, what a revelation to see that the laundry hamper actually does have a bottom after all.
The sweet sights and sounds of serenity caressed our few days and nights alone. The break in the daily grind also served as a time of reflection. In the silence we wondered, out loud, when the steps of tiny tots turned into a stampede every time the phone rang. Or how those days of skinned knees and toothless smiles turned into the growing up years of self discovery and moving away.
All good things must come to an end , as did out little 'at home' getaway. With the slam of the door and a shout of, "Hi Mom, I'm home!", Our household was back to normal. It didn't take long for old routines to take up residence once again, and we found ourselves welcoming the chaos.Through the silence had come serendipity. For someday very soon our days of being home alone willbe painfully permanent. Someday the quiet that echoes through empty rooms will find us yearning for the chatter of our daughter's childhood.
Blessed are thesejoyous days of family life.Whether we're enjoying peace or pandemonium, there's always love to keep everything together.
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