Monday, January 21, 2008

shout out to my baby bro

it's martin luther king jr. day so my girls are home from school. and it's TWENTY ONE degrees here. *sigh* i hate the cold. hate hate hate. and one of the things it means today is that there will be no sending the girls outside to cure their cabin fever... i hated very few things about growing up in my household, but one of them was definitely when my mom would force me out into the cold for "at least an hour!" - i hated it. so i am not going to inflict that on my girls. of course, ask me tomorrow afternoon, when they've been home for their 4th day in a row and everything is bicker-bicker, battle-battle. we always swear we won't become our parents, but....

but it reminded me this morning of the last time my mom forced me outside - i think it was what started my deep friendship with my little brother, Vincent. i was visiting calgary from miami in the dead cold of february, and had just miscarried our first baby. i was devastated. and one night - a dark cold night, she "told" me to go for a walk. i protested, but she seemed to me almost vicious about it, so i began bundling up against the cold when v said to me, "i'll come with you". he was 16, and i was 22 and had been gone from the house since he was 12. but we walked down the road to the local pet shop, which was open, warm & didn't mind 'just looking, thanks'. as we walked, we talked... about the baby and how i was coping, and he gently defended mom to me. i think he probably even held my hand while i railed against the world. and you know what i love? he still is that boy... mostly. :) big love, baby.

now i should go figure out a way to keep the girls occupied...

2 comments:

Marilyn said...

ah...you will send them out. I bet you a banana. Did I teach you to hate the cold or is it genetic? Check my blog - I am suffering too. sigh ... mum ... hugs

Anonymous said...

I hate the cold. it has been below zero here at times. the kids can't go outside...sigh or i would force them.