Monday, July 10, 2006

"I am going away for a few days..."

We have an evening ritual of reading to our kids (at least Calanit) and then singing a few prayers/songs to them.  It alternates depending on who is available. Last night, I sang to Calanit.

Afterwards, I realized I needed to tell her that I was leaving for a few days for a trip.

"Tonka," I said. "I'm going to go away for a few days. I'm going to call you. Will you talk to me on the phone?"

"Yes. I'm going on a trip, too."

"Really, where?"

"I'm going to the park with my animals" [her stuffed animals].

This morning, I brought my suitcase downstairs and when I saw her, she had her suitcase (a small pink one she had received as a baby) and a stroller with a teddy bear in it.

She waved to me as I walked out the door.

Tamar later called me to tell me that she broke down crying. 

Leaving these kids for a few days is one of the toughest things around. When I think about thyroid cancer and the far worse medical conditions out there and what it could mean in terms of leaving them for a much longer period of time, my heart breaks.

For them and for me.

blog comments powered by Disqus
 
View Comments