Episode #3, Sunday

Yeah, I know, I've put this off for far too long, not because it's hard to write but just because I've been so busy.


After everyone left the graduation party Saturday night, you'd think I would be way too tired to do anything but sleep but alas, no, grandma's insomnia kicked in good and hard and I spent the night anticipating the day to come. I finally gave up trying to sleep around 5am and got up to make sure the house was ready for us to cook breakfast.


Don and Max brought lots of good stuff, free range eggs, sausage, bacon, cinnamon rolls and bagels and Don and I got to work making breakfast for the crew... The day started with wonderful news, Brandy had gone to the hospital to have her baby and I got to spend the day with Max and Don as they anxiously awaited news of the new arrival. Max was occupied with phone calls and updates and it was so incredible to get to share her excitement and anticipation. I have never met Brandy but being able to watch Max wait for her daughters first baby was an amazing insight into a part of the family that I was trying to get to know.


I was so excited about this day, Don and Max's visit had been the highlight of the occasion for me and I was anxious to get to spend some time with them, catching up and learning about each other. We passed the day with lots of different activities, from napping on the couch to driving around Springdale to see the limited sights. At one point Don and I took the dogs for a walk in the rain, well, I walked Buellar while Tiny walked Don.....Don did a very good job of pretending that he was in charge of my 170 lb English Mastiff but having walked Tiny myself, I knew the truth. At any second, Tiny could have made up his mind to go a different way and Don would have been helpless to stop him. It was fun and the dogs loved the exercise but the best part was getting to spend a little bit of time with my new favorite uncle and adopted father....a guy who has all the wonderful qualities of my own father paired with a realistic perspective, and honest affection for family and the most important quality of all, he loves me and my sisters and he shows it. Seems we have needed that in our lives and all three of us are thankful for our relationship with our uncle.


Later in the day things started to speed up with Brandy and the baby and I worked on dinner while Don and Max and I really started to get into the conversations that I had been waiting for... in depth, person by person detailing of each of their seven kids, themselves, me and my family for the last 20 years. I got to ask all the questions I wanted and they filled in the details, never backing down, even when I asked about their relationship, the end of Don's marriage, Max's marriage how they got together etc... It was a wonderful evening for me and the highlight, of course, was the birth of Brandy's daughter, Mickala Wren, not their first grandchild by far but the first born of Brandy and Will and a special moment for everyone.


Looking back at that day now, five weeks later, I am so very glad that Don and Max came all that way to celebrate Kyles graduation with me and most of all, to give us all a chance to catch up with each other and realize how very important family is. Especially those family members that you might end up letting go of if you're not careful.