My middle son has been home for two years now, safe and sound from the war. Life seems somewhat normal again. Somewhat.
His tour of duty in the U.S. Navy completed, he settled in with a roommate, a friend he has known since they were both three years old. Now a successful computer tech for a major company, Jon has been counting the days since his geek counterpart has been returned to him in one piece.
Taking a few months off before returning to school to complete his degree, my middle son rejuvenated his batteries, both physical and emotional.
Dinners with his siblings out at the Lake is one of the ways to reconnect with the family, as well as getting to know the "newest" members of his family. My three sons are not always here at the same time, but they are always together, if not physically then by telephone or by spirit.
Their favorite meal is a simple beef stew, with a side of corn bread or rolls, steaming hot from the oven with a slathering of butter. Apple Betty and vanilla ice cream for dessert, it centers us all and brings back memories of when they were children, all of them and Jon "working" in the yard.
Many times they would tease their youngest sister by concocting a bowl of soup, complete with muddy water, twigs and leaves, telling her to “…taste it, it’s good for you!” Invariably she would come into the kitchen, chest soaked with water and caked with mud, saying she “…….needed a glass of milk to wash it down.” Always with a smile, she would gasp at the end and say “Ahhh, just right...” while the onlookers from the other side of window would laugh hysterically.
My other three "sons" of the canine persuasion, are equally amazed by these two legged creatures crossing the threshold and sharing their mother's affection. I am fascinated as to the similarities between the two species and the way I have "raised" all of them.
As we walk the land as part of our exercise, I smile as I watch the littlest one stoop at a puddle, seeing his reflection in it for the first time. I am reminded of the indoctrination into dogland when I read the column written by my beloved, a tribute to his much loved dog that had recently been put down. It prompted my writing of an essay that began our love affair with life and each other, and continues to this moment.
“Look at that, Simon” I say softly.
A big pot of maple leaf soup. That was your cousin Jack's favorite!” The other two ‘brothers’ standby and smile as well, as if recognizing the passing of a tradition and a ritual.
“Yes, taste it” my human sons add and smile knowingly. “It's good for you.....”and for just a moment I can hear the catch in their voices. They miss their sister who has gone off to pursue her own dreams, but knowing they will see her again. Both of them have dodged a very large bullet, and recognize the blessings of having another chance to do whatever we like, because of where we live and who we are.
All of us have a way of renewing ourselves, season after season, year after year. Let us always recognize the blessings around us, rejoice in the mundane and the routine.
They are as simple as a pot of Maple Leaf Soup.
