A moment of McQueen happiness....

Whenever I travel for work, the kids ask me to bring them back something. It's usually something very small, sometimes just a chocolate chip cookie for both, but however small the gift, it's the thought that their mommy missed them, and brought something for them, that they care about.

Until last year, I would never discuss my travel plans with them. It upset them quite a bit, knowing I would not come home from work at night. But starting this year, I tell them way in advance where I'm going.

I traveled to Arizona this week, and the son kept asking me to bring him a McQueen T-shirt. He's been asking for it since days, and I decided to order a 3-pack from Amazon before I left so that it would arrive (hurray, 2-day prime shipping) by the time I returned from Arizona.

The day I got back, I got a call from his preschool right around lunch that he had a fever, so I picked him up and brought him home. Just as I was settling him in bed for a nap, the doorbell rang, and I told him his t-shirts would have arrived. He said did u bring them from Arizona? I said I ordered them from Arizona and they came in the brown truck. To say he was delighted and thrilled to see and wear them is an understatement. He must have said "thank you mamma" zillions of times, and so many other feel good statements. He was so excited that he could not sleep until 4pm, and was wearing a huge grin on his face all afternoon long.

He's home today with me, down with fever, but you can hardly tell he's sick. He LOVES spending time with me at home, especially when his sister is in school, coz then he gets undivided attention. He's sporting another one of his McQueen T-shirts today....and he is very, very happy.

Money can't buy everything, but if a cheap $5 t-shirt can bring my sick son several days of happiness, it sure is worth it.

It's been a fever filled week, so I'm ready for the tide to turn now. The daughter had fever since Saturday, and she missed school for 2 days while I was gone. Now the son is down, and our beloved nephew is down with fever as well. On one hand, these are routine common illnesses which go away soon, so I'm really grateful for that. On the other hand though, it takes a toll on us parents when both are full time professionals, and we don't have any family to help us during such times.

Hoping for a healthy weekend....

Not a good weekend....

Last weekend was filled with a string of bad news...they kept coming and did not stop until the very end.

It started with my sister telling me about their friend's 6 month old son, who got diagnosed with kidney cancer. Just 6 months old - can you imagine? A kidney has been removed and chemo is to start shortly. The young parents have no family around, and I'm sure they must be in the trenches with their emotions.

I also made a tough phone call to a neighbor.....they lost their 17-month old daughter last month while we were away. She was such a precious, healthy little child....and it was a very sudden loss. I am yet to meet them...but I'm sure I will be at a loss of words when I do.

I recently attended a cousin's wedding in Bangalore. It was such a happy event.....I really enjoyed spending time with all my cousins and came back with happy memories. We found out last weekend that my cousin's mother-in-law, a very sweet lady who always wore a smile on her face, got diagnosed with breast cancer. Not even a month after her daughter's wedding, which the family hosted with such pride and fanfare....they have to deal with this difficult situation.

These news were coming in on Saturday, and by the end of the day, I was emotionally spent. A friend visited us with his soon-to-turn-1-year old and he brought his cousin along with him. One look at the girl and you could tell something was wrong. He told me she was assaulted earlier in the week by some black men. I won't go into much detail but it was a scary, traumatic experience. I'm glad she is safe with us now, but an incident like this is enough to alter a person's life.

On Sunday, we had another friend visit us. They are a couple I adore, and I've known them for a very long time. They mentioned about their cousin's son who is battling an allergic reaction to some drug and has been in ICU, on a respirator, since the last two weeks. My friend has been sending care packages to them every week and she had just finished sending a big package before they came to meet us.

Although none of these things have affected my immediate family, does it really matter? The empathy and sorrow that I feel towards these friends and acquaintances is the same. I can't just shrug off their thoughts from my mind easily.

I keep asking: how can I help? why them? why children? I look at my kids and wonder what if something happens to them? Sometimes, its just plain luck. But no one is always lucky, right? Someday, it will be us, and it will directly impact us.

It's just shaken me to the core - this string of bad news. Once I find a way to reach out, and help - in some way or the other, I'll feel a bit better.

Till then, please pray. For strength and for healing.