In about 2.5 hours this mommy is hitting the road. Just like last weekend I'm once again headed north. For both good and bad. This time without hooligans or fancy hotel suites. Just me and the trusty Saturn. And lots of good, loud music.
On Tuesday my brother called me crying. My brother isn't a crier. He has to be extremely upset to cry. Or extremely happy like when he got married. So, he called me and I could barely understand a word he was saying. Immediately I sort of resorted to freak out mode because I thought maybe something had happened to my sister-in-law, niece, nephew, or any combination of the three. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. I could not have handled that. But the news was sad. And tragic. A friend of his committed suicide. A kid I remember. One that I frequently harassed and picked on given he and my brother were 3 years younger than me. A really good kid. And he's' gone now at his own hand and the whole tale is just awful. The loss is great. And even though I probably haven't seen him in a good 15 years, I want to go and say good-bye. And maybe the outpouring of support from people will make his family feel this burden just a little less for a few moments. The wake and funeral are later in the day on Friday.
On Friday morning I'll be spending a few hours at the hospital with my cousin. Poor girl has been through hell and back in recent years with medical issues and even donated one of her kidneys to her brother about 2 years ago. Apparently there is something wrong, but doctors haven't figured out what and they've scheduled an MRI. So, I'll be lending a supporting shoulder for the appointment.
The rest of the weekend. I'll be spending with my special someone. We have very little time left before the Army takes him away again. This time for at least 6 months. But, I won't think about that now. It's just going to be fantastic to get this time with him alone before he has to go.
The kids are staying with Daddy. Of course. I'm sure they'll have an excellent weekend chilling at home. And on Sunday they'll get to play with some friends too. And when they wake up Monday morning -- Mommy will have returned and all will be right in their worlds yet again. It's good to be loved. And missed.