This Reminds Me

My boss Sharon and friend Aimee organized an office surprise party for me this morning attended by a dozen folks in person and several far-flung AT&T’ers via conference call.  Cake for breakfast – what’s not to like?

Remember when I blogged “presence” was more important than “presents?” Okay, well, so, I might have had a brief moment of – ummm – rethought.  Because the group gave me the most beautiful snow globe I’ve ever seen – Tinker Bell with spiraling sparkly dust suspended in a gold water lily, celebrating her 50th birthday in 2003.

As Rachel said, “Mom!  It’s Tink!  She’s 50!  It’s a snow globe!  It’s one of Daddy’s water lillies!  It’s sooooo ‘you!’”

Transporting it home on the bus raised my possessiveness to new heights.  I had Tink wrapped in T-shirts and stuffed in a basket, with tissue paper jammed in every crevice.  I eyed every other rider who approached our bench with unmasked hostility – Step back!  Step away from the Tinker Bell! The guy sitting behind us probably thought I needed to go through a metal detector and a shoe check.  Tink and I both made it home safely (whew!)

So my birthday was today.  But there’s a more important birthday tomorrow, February 1.  It belongs to a little girl living in an orphanage in St. Petersburg, Russia who will be six years old.  Right now, she has no idea we exist.  But Keith and I are leaving Saturday, February 11, to meet her the following week.   When I first “met” Rachel, Lois and Hannah, my hair was matted, my legs unshaven and my lungs were strained from bellowing for the epidural.  I plan to be a bit more composed when we meet “Little A,” as we’ve called her these (looonnngggg) 18 months.

Tinker Bell – she’s magic.  And so is the opportunity to grow a family.  So wish us well as we fly, fly, fly toward St. Petersburg on February 11.  No aerial wires peeking out on a stage.  Just the tie that binds in our hearts.

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