The Help

I should really be sleeping right now because Jose is off to Geneva for the whole week so I should be saving up all my energy for dealing with the munchkins for 5 more days all by myself (have I ever said how much I appreciate single moms after having kids?) but I can't stop my mind from thinking I'm in the middle of reading "The Help" and I thought I would be so "been there done that" with another book about civil rights (hasn't it all been written already) but for some reason this book is really getting to me -- it's making me angry, sad and happy all at once. Angry about how cruel human beings can be (not necessarily borne from evil but maybe just sheer ignorance) but it's also showing me that deep down this is a story about humanity and love and relationships just like every other wonderful story that has ever been written and I think that's what has me all tied up in knots. It's about souls in need reaching out to other souls in need and if that isn't what life has taught me in my 35 years I don't know if I'll ever learn anything worth learning.

And Gabi is sleeping here in my bed (that's her treat when Daddy's out of town -- well OK let's face it she's always sneaking into my bed whether Daddy's out of town or not!) and we are all uncomfortable here in this bed -- we are all gathered in about 1/3 of the bed (me, the cat, Gabi, and her new bunny doll who apparently has multiple personality disorder because her name changes all the time, although at least we know it's a she so that's comforting). So anyway we're all curled up in a 1/3 of the bed so I know I will barely be able to sleep tonight and Jose's half across the world (or in process of getting there) but right here I know I got my loved ones so close to me I can hear their breathing (except for the bunny doll of course) and that's all I need to know. I am also already starting to face the sadness we'll feel in leaving Cincinnati behind in a few months after it's been so kind to us for the last 6 years so I guess I'm overly sentimental. Well let's face it I'm always overly sentimental, I just have different excuses for it every day....

And if you are in town and want to help with the kids so I can get some exercise done this week (although not nearly as trascendental a task as integration it does feel almost monumental to me to make it through this half-marathon in one piece) please drop a line...I could sure use the help. :)

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