I was in California for a national conference for the education of young children.
(Or some lengthy title that makes it sound official.)
I no longer have children at home so I was sure all would be well while I was out of town.
You know what this is leading to don't you?
You are right!
I don't think our plane had landed more than an hour or so.
Then I get this text message from my oldest son:
"Not to worry u but I got hit under the eye with a line drive and am waiting 2 get stitches at the hospital."
It was almost 10:00 p.m.
He had been playing softball with his team from work.
He sent me a picture of his eye, but remember my Ludditeness.
I do not know how to get it from my phone to the computer.
So you will have to envision it (or not.)
He luckily did not break any bones and there was no damage to his eye.
(I am trying to count our blessings.)
But he did get some deep stitches and 7 on top of that.
My children combined have had stitches approximately 30 times, we have had broken bones, microscopic surgery for a severed artery, nerve and 5 tendons in a wrist, had a diving accident with a brain bleed.... and other stuff. (I was starting to regress into traumatic- memory-mode so I stopped.)
My point was that in all those times, this has been the first time ever I was not around when something happened.
Granted my son is a young man.
Sometimes firsts for me just take time to adjust to.
I did thank him for the before and after pictures.
I told him it helped me feel like I was there.
He was kind about it, but pretty much said,
"I'm a big boy now mom."
What he said instead was,
"At least I still got the force out at 3rd."
I felt so much better after that!?
