Simple, Everyday Angels

For me, the crosses I bear, the baggage I carry, the burdens I endure, gathered over the course of my life, in the end, are just stories to tell my children.... Hopefully, with some moral purpose or lesson such that they might not "make the same mistakes I made". I'd like to add here that at least some of these mistakes certainly made my life more interesting if not more difficult or painful at times. I certainly subscribe to the "scars add character" philosophy. That said, many an adult I know holds one or both parents responsible for at least some of their current adult-life woes. I, gratefully, have outgrown this silly notion. Taking full responsibility [now] for my actions since I was at least 3 weeks shy of my 18th birthday and off to college. Furthermore, the advent of birthing and raising my own children and the notion that I am now in my parents' role -- orchestrating my children's future baggage -- has afforded me the hindsight to appreciate not only the human-ness of my parents, but also the angel-ness of them as well.

So, today's angel award goes to my Mom. Yesterday, in 96 degrees heat, she donned her loosest cotton shirt, pants and some sandals and took me and my 3 beautiful children to the local church's annual feast... Her pockets stuffed with cash so she could make sure our afternoon and evening were completely worry-free. And, so she succeeded... along with the unbidden assistance of my aunt (my Mom's Ex-sister-in-law of 25 years). Together, they paid for and helped me juggle plates of hamburgers and cheesy fries, bottles of water and Snapple, and Mr. Softee ice cream cones, as well as ride tickets and distraction for the boys while the old soul rode the flying saucer, a ride that my little man (the baby) was sure would result in injury or worse, disappearance of his big sister. My Mom, "Grandma", despite being prone to serious motion sickness, even took on one of the rides -- "The Space Shuttle" that crashes into the moon at one point -- to the great satisfaction of my very happy and appreciative daughter. Thank God for my Mom, my Aunt and all those simple, every day angels... Lest I forget what my life would be like without their daily and selfless acts to help make my existence more worry-free.