I remember watching an episode of Oprah where she interviewed a girl who's mom had died. Before the mother had passed she'd made a point of traveling with her kids, trying to create special memories they could hold onto after she was gone. When asked though, the girl said that the thing she'd remember most was when her mom used to wake her up in the middle of the night to have a bowl of Cheerios together in the kitchen. Of all things--Cheerios.
If that's not evidence that the quote above is true, I don't know what is.
My own daughter is home from college for Spring Break. She goes back tomorrow. I had hoped to take her on a vacation. At first I had big plans--Hawaii. But, then as the time came closer, she said that she didn't mind going somewhere for a day or two, but really was just looking forward to being at home, in her own bed, and playing with the dogs, sharing meals, watching movies, etc. Our biggest outing this week was going to Color Me Mine to paint ceramics--something we hadn't done since she was really small. We also went to lunch, shopping, and watched a few movies on Apple TV. Tomorrow is Easter Sunday and we aren't planning to go anywhere. Nobody's coming over either. It'll be just us--my husband, daugher, the two boys and me. And of course the pups. We're going to dye Easter Eggs, play games, make brunch...and then...we'll head for the airport.
I'll bring tissue for the ride home. I know I'll need it. I also know that even though we didn't take a big extravagant vacation, these will be the times we look back on most fondly. The "little things" are the "big things," and "one day" is today.
