When you read this column I will hopefully be in Tanzania, Africa on a mission trip with St. John’s Lutheran Church. I am very excited to but I go but I think most about my family here in Minnesota—my parents in Schroeder and my husband and kids in South Haven.
Unlike my mom, I did not clean my house to a shimmering shine or plant my garden prior to leaving as it is assumed it will be well lived in for the next 20 days. I decided to let some things go and enjoy friends and family to the fullest.
I did buy the boys a quesadilla griddle and an ice cream maker so I know they will have some nourishment once summer break begins. The Schwan’s man has promised me he will not let them starve and has agreed to give them an open charge account. This I may regret but it does give me some comfort.
I spend all this time thinking and worrying about how they will survive without me. I forget that my goal in life should be to raise them to be independent, selfsufficient individuals who do not need their mom to plan every detail…but in my heart I kind of like to be needed. Don’t we all?
Truly this is what will happen—once school is out they will sleep in, watch TV, ride their bikes, play baseball, swim and kayak, see their friends and probably not even notice my absence or the need to vacuum, sweep and make their beds. Cross your fingers that the animals will be fed. (Our dogs can be pretty insistent though if their bowls are empty at 6:00 p.m.)
The fact of the matter is everyone will be fine and in the end I will come home with a new appreciation for all that I have been blessed with in my life. The topping on the cake will be that they might have a new appreciation for Mom.
It is a happy talent
to know how to play.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Taste of Home columnist Sandy (Anderson) Holthaus lives on a farm in South Haven, MN with her husband, Michael, and their children Zoe, Jack and Ben. Her heart remains on the North Shore where she grew up with her parents, Art and LaVonne Anderson of Schroeder. She enjoys writing about her childhood and mixes memories with delicious helpings of home-style recipes.
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