Respite for the Weary

I have no photo, I so wish I did. The last several days have been...well, hectic. We are flying out on Sunday evening, a mere 4 days after graduation. That is minimal for a school administrator. We will get it all done, packed, sealed, and shut down. But these past few days have been exhausting. Campbell Clansman is working on the school front; I am tackling the home front. 5 kids to pack ("Does your swimsuit still fit from last year?!" times 4), a cat for which to ensure the proper care and handling of all summer (complete with marks on our calender of how long a bag of cat food will stretch so we know how much to leave for him), laundry thrown in the wash the minute it is shed (so we'll have it in the suitcase in time), strange food combinations for mealtimes so we will finish what's in the fridge... and on and on. So much to do.

So when my sweet little Kazakhstani friend called and asked me to dine with her tonight, I wasn't so sure. Time, I need more time. But my heart is full of love for her and I want to encourage her in her new walk, so I said, "Sure. What time?"

We met tonight, on a breezy deck. We had steak wraps. They were delicious. We caught up, we wished one another a good summer. At the end of our meal, she insisted we have some Turkish tea. Rather than the normal teacup with 2 little lumps of sugar, out came a rectangular plate. On it was the teacup, the spoon, a mini vase with a single wildflower, a homemade cookie, and 2 drops of freshly spun hard candy. And it was free. The tea presentation was symbolic of the breath of fresh air I needed. I'm so glad I went.

I left this house worn out, hardly able to answer a question, let alone the hundreds of questions my children were asking me about our flight/what time they get to wake up in the middle of the night/what should be packed in each carry on. I returned well fed, refreshed, and enriched from time with a friend. Sometimes, I think, when we think we need to do something the least, we need to do it the most.

And now, I am off to bed. I'll finish the packing later.