Day One

It's a little after midnight and I just got home from work. This morning I got up and took Massey to get two more items on her "Essential" list for camp.

Zach and I were going to go the the re hab center to visit Frances , but Massey was scared we would run her late (she had to be at the school at noon.) I dropped her off at her friend's house who is also on the color guard. This other girl's parents said they would give Massey a ride to the school when they took their daughter. I told Massey that Zach and I would go see Frances and come by the school before the bus left for camp.

Went to see Franny and helped her out some with the computer. I took a mouse that I had in a drawer, hoping it would fit the lap top. No such luck. The lap top is a Dell and the extra mouse I had was for my HP at the house. I was hoping it would work, but maybe I will take her my wireless mouse and hook up the extra HP mouse to my desk top at home.

When we got there Frances was in the church service held on Sunday mornings. Zach and I hung around til it was over and Zach wheeled Frances back to her room while I wheeled another woman back to the same hall. I suggested a wheelchair race but the two women didn't seem interested so we just strolled back. We could only stay a short time because I wanted to see Massey off at the high school.

Zach said I was being stupid...the other girl's parents were giving Massey a ride and there was no reason for us to go back to the school.

Oh, there was a good reason!

Don't think I am going to let my girl go away for a week without holding that sweet face in my hands, hug her tightly and tell her how much I love her.

I was five minutes away from the school when she called me and said they were already on the charter bus. I was so out of gas it wasn't funny, but I floored it anyway and pulled into the school parking lot as the buses readied to leave. She had told me she was on the last bus, so I jumped out of the car as the driver was getting on board and asked if I could get on and tell my daughter good bye.

She still had her cell phone in her hand, her ipod stuck in her ears and a huge smile on her face when she saw me coming down the aisle of the bus.

I remember the first time I went to camp. My parents had gone out of town for the weekend and left my sister who was probably seventeen at the time in charge of getting me off to camp. She took me to church with my stuff and dropped me off. I got to camp and realized when I walked into the cabin that I didn't have sheets for my bed, no pillow or blanket...just a stained mattress to lay down on and hoped that I dreamed I was warm when I went to sleep. She had given me no money for snacks (they had an AWESOME "canteen" to buy snacks in). I was so homesick by the second day that I felt like I wanted to die.

On the third day, early that morning I saw my parents driving down the dusty road that led to the camp in our ugly 68 Ford Galaxy..."The Black Beauty" as we called it. (We were smart asses even as kids.)

They brought me a pillow, sheets and a blanket and money for that wonderful "Canteen" snack shop that all of the other kids had been bragging about. I had never been happier to see my parents. After they left, I had a wonderful time and didn't think about home again until I got there at the end of the week.

I just had to make sure Massey had everything ( though I couldn't imagine what I could have possibly forgotten.)

I have had too many losses in my life to let a good bye be "poo-pooed."

I could tell from the bright smile on her face she was glad that I had come to hug her one more time. I think it was more for me than her, but it felt good to both of us.

She called the minute they got there and has called twice since and sent me text messages as well.

She is having a ball and I feel good about holding that precious face in my hands one last time before the bus rolled out. Zach still thinks I am stupid for racing to the school...but for me and for Massey, it was the right thing to do.

You can't love your kids too much in my opinion .

Now Zach and I have a full week to hang out, get to know each other better and reconnect. I am almost as excited about that as Massey is about band camp.

Til next time...COTTON