This bleak world alone?

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

It was Theodore’s birthday. 58 years old that morning.

The perfect October day – gray skies, rain from time to time, autumn leaves blowing in gusts across the road, little lights coming from homes along the way. Back at the house, Mom had the windows cracked open to the fall winds and the driveway was completely covered in crunchy leaves. During the afternoon, nearly all of the kids took their turns making themselves hot chocolate.

After work, Carrie returned to find a generous check from Grandma Snicketts in the mail toward their slowly growing contributions for the autism walk that Saturday.

Later, to relieve the stress of another long day, Carrie called Linnea over to give her a back massage.

Linnea willingly hopped onto her back, shoes on.

“Aaaaah! Watch the kidneys!”

“I can take off my shoes,” Linnea marched off the back of Carrie’s legs and removed the shoes.

“Aaah! Start with the spinal cord, start with the spinal cord!”

“I’m surfing!” Linnea called out, wiggling back and forth on Carrie’s spinal cord.

“Oh, you put on weight, Linnea!”

Linnea giggled and patted her belly. “Must be all that macaroni and cheese.”

“Ok, ok! Try the hammer fists now.”

Carrie sighed with relief after Linnea had hopped off and instead began pounding her fists on Carrie’s back.

The price one paid for comfort.

OLeif and Collette returned home that blustery cold evening to find that Mrs. Lord-Welches had sent them a box with a soft baby blanket, a CD of classical lullabies, and two little outfits. She had always been thoughtful that way.