Needed

I did take my Mom and sister to Alabama this weekend to see the baby. Mom had gotten word that she was able to be held and couldn't wait to get her hands on that baby.

All three of us got to see her and Mom and I got to hold her. She's just precious, absolutely darling. When I talked to her, she would get real still and look me dead in the eyes, never turning her gaze away. I told her all about her cousins who call me Mom. We had a wonderful visit.

We also got to spend some time with my nephew and his wife. Chad is very special to me and Rachel is such a wonderful addition to the family. I watched her with the baby. She's gentle and sweet, so loving and caring with Reagan. You could see the incredible bond between mother and daughter. And my sister, Amanda's mother, who missed their wedding to be with Amanda in the hospital, was able to meet her new niece-in-law and visit a little with her nephew, which she needed. All-in-all, it was a wonderful visit.

I did all the driving. And talked with my sister and my mom, which was wonderful. It's been a long time since I had, literally, hours stretched out for us to visit. It was a refreshing change from my day-to-day, answering questions non-stop, life.

We got home around 9:30 Saturday night. As I pulled into the driveway, there was a strange vehicle at the end of the driveway and our van was missing. I turned off the car and came through the front door.

Dane ran to me, hugged me, then cuddled under my arm and whispered, "We had an accident in the van!" I waited patiently until I had greeted everyone, then asked about the van. Little by little, the story of my two days away came out.

Don decided to take the children for a nice, long bike ride along the canal that spurs off the Savannah River. There's a strip of land between the canal and the river with trees and a walking path. It's quite a nice ride with shade and cool water to soak your feet when they get tired. He loaded the bikes up, got the kids settled in the van, then pulled forward out of the driveway - right into an oncoming car.

He said she must have been flying around the curve. Just past our house, there's a rather significant curve in the road. Over the years, many people have driven far too fast and missed the road, ending up in neighbors yards or hitting phone poles along the route. She was coming from his right and rounded the corner just as he pulled out.

The woman immediately called her husband who, according to Deanna, appeared in seconds. They looked over the damage and agreed not to call the police or involve insurance companies. Don had some cash on hand that he offered and they accepted. Everyone got back in their cars and headed on their way. I'm sure the man must have realized that involving the police would be detrimental to his wife - she couldn't have been going the speed limit and not had time to stop. But all the same, I'm glad it was handled so efficiently and peacefully.

Don and the kids arrived at the canal and suited up for their bike ride. Somewhere down the path, with Deanna in the lead and the boys and Don following, Don hit a rut where the road was a little washed out and flew over his handlebars. He has scratches, bruises, road burn, and a large gash on his knee. He said he had difficulty stopping the bleeding from his knee and, eventually, used the cold water to help. Deanna was pretty shaken, but the boys thought it was cool. Don did NOT think it was cool and seemed very unhappy when telling me about it that I wasn't there to take care of him. I felt awful.

About a half hour after arriving home, Daelyn began throwing up. I think he had a stomach bug. Quite an eventful weekend. Now I'm worried about the Women's Retreat out of town that I'm going to on Friday and won't return from until Sunday. My mother suggested we hire a babysitter for Don.

As we prepared for bed Saturday night and he told me about all the "incidents", I could hear a catch in his voice. He really had struggled to deal with all these issues without me home.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here for you, honey," I said.

"That's okay. I understand. But we really needed Mommy," he responded.

Don very seldom says things like that. I guess I don't often feel NEEDED by him - appreciated - sometimes, loved - always, but seldom needed. I sure felt it Saturday night.