January 1: Christmas Travels

While in chilly Florida, we went to the Tampa zoo and met up with a friend of mine from elementary school whom I hadn’t seen in over 30 years! She was in Florida with her family and it was really great to see her again. The kids loved the zoo. They ran to get to the animals and then at each one Sarah would kneel on one knee, as she has observed Blippi doing on tv when he goes to a zoo. The biggest highlight was the carousel, especially the panda that Sarah could ride! Both kids went on the carousel many times and even tried the small tiger rollercoaster. Amy went on the coaster three times. 

On our last day it was warm enough to eat at our favorite outdoor restaurant where the kids can play in the sand or play a giant Connect Four game. Then we went to a glass museum and Sarah protested the very idea of going in. We prevailed upon her to at least walk inside, at which point her protests grew louder. So I went back to the car with her (grumpily) and took a turn seeing the museum after Carl and Amy were done. We also found an ice cream shop that had non-dairy options since that is best for Sarah at the moment. Across from the ice cream shop there was a grassy area with banyan trees. The girls had a great time running around. We finished the day with time in the pool and hot tub. Carl didn’t go in the ocean that day, but he did so on an even chillier day, very boldly and quickly. 

We had flown to Florida on Southwest but were feeling quite fortunate that we happened to have tickets on American Air to get to Philadelphia. We had a short delay but that was the only hiccup. We spent a couple of days visiting my dad, stepmom, brother, and uncle. That was wonderful and included a trip to the Delaware children’s museum and a playground. For our Christmas celebration with them, among many wonderful things, Sarah was thrilled to get a panda watch, Amy was delighted to get art supplies and American Girl doll clothes, Carl was excited to get Fritos and a Lego kit, and my socks were knocked off when I received a family heirloom and a binder of family history to go with it. Crocodile Dentist is a game that has been a big hit with all of us. 

Now we are finishing our trip with a couple of days visiting my mom and stepdad. We had a lovely Christmas morning yesterday. Carl got a book of useless information that we all found fascinating, although I can’t remember a single thing to share here. Sarah now covets a new musical note bag, Amy has more art supplies that she has been wanting for ages, and I received a photo album of my young self. Amy kept looking at the pictures and wondering why I looked like her. I suggested maybe it is that she looks like me. 

Overall this whole trip has been a much-needed restful time of being together. That said, I will also admit that for many days I have had less patience for Sarah’s repeated requests for me to say certain things or to ask how people are doing when I have no way of knowing. But asking how they might be doing is our attempt to steer away from her asking us to ask her what happened to a given person. I have been feeling hypocritical as Carl reads through my book draft, about the earlier Sarah-Rise days, because I don’t feel like I have been in a loving, present, or spacious heart space with Sarah lately. 

I hope your days have felt spacious and supportive.