Have you ever felt that in your journey as a Solo-Mom or Solo-Dad, there are moments that absolutely validate your past choices?
Not that every choice I made along the way was the right one; there are certainly some that I regret.
But there are others that I knew were right and hoped and prayed that other would eventually accept and perhaps even validate through their actions or words.
Yesterday I experienced one of those moments. It occurred when the photo I saw the scene below and captured it on my Canon EOS Rebel.
At first glance, it looks like a pretty boring photo. Everyone is ignoring the photographer (me) and appears to be absorbed in their activities.
The Kids’ Visit
It began as a prearranged visit from my daughter, Bethany and her husband of less than a year. We’d missed seeing each other at Christmas and this was to be our way of connecting and exchanging gifts.
About an hour before their arrival I learned from Bethany that Benjamin (20) and his fiancee Crystal as well as Jeremy (23) would also be coming and ‘would that be OK?”
More Than OK!
Anytime I can have all four kids together is more than OK. When it occurs, it’s usually a special family occasion. The last time we were all together was at Bethany and David’s wedding. Due to the geographic differences involved and the multi-directional lives we all lead, it’s a rare event.
Bethany, David and Little Elvis had accompanied me to a local Italian restaurant for lunch where dined on tasty panini’s, cream of mushroom soup and salad. A quick visit afterwords to Starbuck for an after lunch coffee was just the prelude to the activities to follow.
It’s been raining at the beach for a few weeks and we decided inside activities were in order. David and Bethany brought a bunch a card and board games and when Benjamin, Crystal and Jeremy arrived bedlam ensued (OK, a mild, subdued sort or bedlam).
You Can’t Plan for Redemption
It just happens – it comes in a moment when you know beyond any doubt that…Hell, you’ve done something right after all!
All single parents have doubts about whether they have done the right thing, made the right decision from time to time. (God knows, there isn’t an owner’s manual that’s preinstalled in our cerebral hard-drives for this journey.)
In moments of redemption these doubts are erased. When I experienced the scene above, two thoughts surfaced.
- “It’s like old times when the kids are content playing with one another.”
- “They feel comfortable enough here to relax and be themselves.”
I felt like I’d, indeed, done something right; I’d made the right decisions somewhere along the way and the result was sitting before me in an unforced posture; it was relaxation, play and the love of family.
Here’s how to day ended in a series of photos:
