Dear Brian and David,
Brian, you probably don’t remember the day you packed your Barney suitcase with a peanut butter sandwich because you were running away from home. I watched you sit in our front yard and explain to the neighbor that you were mad and wanted to leave, but you couldn’t because you weren’t allowed to cross the street. David, you may not remember your answer the day I asked you what you wanted to be when you grow up. After great hesitation and considerable thought your response . . . “bigger.” However, I know we all remember the day a tube of Chap Stick changed our lives.
My Chap Stick Moment Became Our Defining Moment For Change
After spending most of the day trying to figure out how I could rob Peter to pay Paul, you two came bounding in the door from school to announce that I needed to buy socks for gym. (Could anyone please tell me where the sock monster lives?) Brian, you also wanted a special t-shirt and David you needed new baseball cleats by Friday. As I stood there trying to add up how much we had just spent in few moments of conversation, Brian, you asked if I would take you to Walgreens for a tube of Chap Stick. Yes, it was the tube of Chap Stick that pushed me over the edge and into an emotional meltdown that stopped you both in your tracks and left you wondering if I had completely lost my mind. After I regained a reasonable intelligence level, I realized how much we were not on the same page! That night, we had our first official family meeting. We also found 3 tubes of Chap Stick and our defining moment for change.
Our meetings evolved over time and I was so certain that I was going to enlighten you with all of my wisdom. What I hadn’t counted on was how much I was going to learn from each of you. It has been an interesting, sometimes challenging and wonderful journey and through it I have found more blessings than I can begin to count. Thank you, Brian and David.
I love you, Mom
P.S. I promise not to reveal anything too embarrassing from our past, but I know that some of our stories and what we’ve learned along the way may help other families to experience the magic that can come from everyone sharing together.
Then…
And now!
