Every month for the last five years, I’ve gotten together with other local homeschool moms, and we’ve enjoyed chatting as the kids played. I wasn’t really looking forward to this month’s gathering, because it was my last one and that was too final to think about. So I kind of put it to the back of my mind.
I was there for at least 2.5 hours, when everyone was asked to leave the kitchen. This isn’t unusual so together with the other moms, we moved to the living room. Ds2 was sleeping in my arms, and when they said that everyone was being asked to go back to the kitchen, I said I’d just stay where I was, that I wasn’t going to move again with ds2. When a friend said, “I think Y. wants everyone to come to the kitchen”, it flashed through my mind that it might have something to do with us leaving -because neither Y. nor the friend who said that would insist that I move to a different room with a sleeping child if I already expressed that I’d rather not.
As I walked into the kitchen, I saw two cakes; one a birthday cake for one of the boys there, and another cake that had written on it, “We’ll miss you!” Seriously, I don’t know how I didn’t start crying right then, but I had a pretty big lump in my throat. Then someone told me everyone had gotten me a gift – the cake wasn’t a shock, but the present was. She said they knew that I’m downsizing everything and I probably wouldn’t want something else I’d have to make room for, so they decided to get me a piece of luggage.
It was a really great present since I have literally one suitcase from the Dark Ages, when they didn’t have wheels or frames, but I wasn’t going to spend money on luggage. This is so practical and useful, and every time I’ll use it (and there will be lots of opportunities even after we move that it will be used) I’ll think of my homeschooling friends here in Baltimore.
Then, they told me to look in the suitcase, but I was crying by now so I asked ds12 to open it. Inside was a scrapbook with the names and addresses of all the regular attendees of our homeschool gathering, and a card signed by them. As I turned the pages, I saw pictures and messages for my kids from other kids in the group. It was a beautiful surprise from beginning to end, and I so much appreciate it.
Fortunately, I’ll still see about half of the moms sometime before I leave, so that made it easier to say my goodbyes – they were balanced out with ‘see you soon’ to others. This isn’t the fun part about moving, that’s for sure.
Avivah
