GIFTS

My early morning weekday drop off to T was always emotional. Wrapped in a tiny hooded cardigan with another layer of soft blankets, on the windy weekday mornings. I was always very teary, I could not look back after handing him over. I could not stand leaving his three month old self with my good neighbor.

She cared for him as if she was his mother. That sounds strange, as she looked nothing like us and we looked nothing like her. Ever present in our lives, an angel, she held me many times when I was desperate.

Leaving K, left me feeling empty, it was an uneasy feeling, but I still looked forward to the morning ride . That solitary drive, from North to the East, although it took me about 45 minutes from saying goodbye to saying hello, that ride was my respite. I looked forward to listening to my morning Radio program, the voice of the anchor person was a soothing balm.

A first time mother, in a land far from home, this was quite difficult. Going back to work after being a full time mother was a shock for me. Every time I saw the secretary come to my classroom door, my heart would skip a little beat. I wondered.

“Have I received a phone call? Am I being summoned to come home?”

Fortunately it was never what I was imagining.

The drive back home was never the same, it emanated different feelings. I felt I needed to get back as quickly as possible. Sometimes, I would have a smile on my face because I knew what I was rushing home for. Although I needed this time to myself, I could never get back soon enough.

Leigh.Ann’s slice Bliss Station triggered this special experience and period of my life. The drive home, my car, was my ‘bliss station.’