It was a blur and happened in the blink of an eye. Last week, the worlds best niece and nephews came up for the weekend - Friday through Sunday. It was their first time to spend a whole weekend all by themselves, would they be bored, would they get homesick, would they get hurt and I regret it for life since mom and dad were gone..... I have to stop now that train is gone and at Get a Grip Central station.....
Each day was packed with whatever the kids wanted to do, with some strategically placed subliminal clues. There were toy stores and trains, Zilker Park and the children's museum, pool time and slushies. There was an enabler in the house that AA would have thrown out in one meeting. Vanishing ink, pop rocks, pez dispensers, food places that serve toys with meals....the litany in writing brings flush to my cheeks.
When it was over, it was a fantastic time. When you sit on the couch, everyone wants to sit with you. When you judge a cannonball splash, everyone wants to be judged by you. Their smiles make you the popular kid, even when your middle aged and less easily slip out of the middle of an inflatable ring. There are only a couple of pictures, but who cares. The handmade drawings, they blue bits of slime from the children's museum that are spotted about are what is remembered. It is the moment on the train when the biggest widest eyes look up, smile, and giggle quietly.
That is why a smile that is worth a thousand pictures. Take time this weekend and find a smile.
