1000 miles in a day

We got up bright and early this morning -- okay maybe dull and early -- with the intention of traversing one-third of a continent. By midnight. We got on our way reasonably on time and kept it pretty much to business. Two meal/gas stops, four gas only stops. No major diversions (but one close call). Sixteen and a half hours later we pulled into our destination, at 11:30pm local time (12:30am Oklahoma time), just in time.

Hello Tucson, it's good to be back. Yes. Yes, I know we were just here (nearly fours months ago). But it's Thanksgiving-ish, and much of our family is here, so I don't think anyone will mind. I think it'll all go over quite nicely.

Unfortunately part of the reason we're here isn't so cheery. Grandma (Great-Grandma to the girls) is having non-trivial health issues. And we're worried. A number of us family types are actually rather worried.

I was fortunate to have gotten to know my Great-Grandmother pretty well. She lived until I was 13, and I had gotten to visit with her in Ventura, California many a time as a youth.

It occurred to me, when pondering my children's Great-Grandmother's health, that they had not spent nearly as much time with her as what would have been preferable. It also occurred to me that it was my fault. And so the only thing to do was to try to right the wrong in the best way available. We'd try to get in as many visits as possible for at least as long as her health is a question mark. We'll go out at Thanksgiving. We'll go out in the summer. We'll go out the next Thanksgiving... until we're sure many more years are ahead for her.

So here we are. It's Thanksgiving and we are here. In Tucson. The kids will have all week to spend with their Great-Grandmother, and it pleases me that I have provided for them this opportunity, however overdue it actually is.

posted by Shawn at 12:29 AM   |   View or Add Comments (0 comments posted)   |       |   Top