Here to Help

You can’t beat a Thanksgiving afternoon for relaxation, with nothing to do but rest from one’s labors – not that I had any labors. No turkey, no stuffing, no grace, nary a toast to drink or a glass to wash, all because Annie and I spent eight hours winging westward to help two sleepy parents, Susie and Kevin, with their brand-new baby.We were like Sleeping Beauty’s fairy godmothers coming out of the night bearing gifts, Annie with a beautiful delicate wooden mobile and I with a small rocking chair that my pal at Mailboxes packed with such care you’d think it once belonged to the Baby Jesus.It was better than that in fact. It belonged to new mother Susie when she was a child. I saw it broken in their garage just days before their house was sold and kept it these 18 months though it had no paint, no seat and no rockers at all.I brought it one place where they took it apart entirely, sanding it,  gluing it and turning two fine new arcs of wood for its rockers. Then I stained it and finished it and brought it to a second place in mid-October for a nice new seat. “It will take  six, maybe seven weeks,” they said but by gosh if they didn’t have it on Wednesday. And didn’t I bring it straight to Mailboxes where my friend  Billy double-wrapped each single dowel and span of wood with foam and tape and more tape and crafted a box of airline-approved size too  and greeted me at 5:00 the night before Thanksgiving with a big big smile, happy to help and proud of a job well done.So off we sailed over  mountain and plain to meet this child who it may be will be one of ours because his parents are ours through the bonds of love and what could be a nicer way to spend this the nicest family holidays?