I was thinking of how much more complicated life is without Mary. I've always appreciated how much she does for our family. I would remind myself of this during those times when I'd become annoyed with her over petty things. I can probably count the few times she turned us down when we'd ask her to watch the kids for us. We'd always get a little taste of life without her when she and Bob would go to the coast for a couple weeks. With no one to get Caitlynn on the bus (and Aaron too, when he was younger) I would have to cut loose from work to run home, get her on the bus and get back to work; all very possible with my flex schedule, but still not as convenient as Mary watching Caitlynn overnight and taking her to school for us.
Mary always gave us ample notice when she & Bob would be going to the coast, then in the intervening time she'd tease us about how she wouldn't feel guilty about leaving us without child care and how she deserves some time away. I always completely agreed with her and told her so. Sometimes I'd wonder if it was less teasing and more her trying to convince herself that she didn't have to feel guilty about leaving us to fend for ourselves for a week or two. Our success in lining up a back-up babysitter were never successful for more than a few weeks, then the back-up moved, had their own child to worry about or some other such condition of life.
It's always so easy to take Mary for granted because she makes life so easy and is always there for us. Ann & I have always been cognizant not to and have pointed out the same to the kids.
These next few weeks (and who knows how far beyond that) will be challenging. Although I've only mentioned child care here, there's so much more Mary does for us, too many little things to count. You never left her house empty-handed or without a full stomach; if you did it was your own fault. Mary's whole life is a ministry to others; I always joked that the worst way to abuse her would be to put her in a room where she had no one to talk to or do things for.
This is a bit rambling, but I've decided that if I'm going to journal more often (as I'd like to) I'm going to have to stop trying to make every post of mine a literary masterpiece and instead just spit it out.
Nice description of a woman who would literally give you her shirt. She grew up that way. In those ways, she's the "spittin' image" of her own mom. Way to "spit it out" as you comment. :-)
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