My brother-in-law called me one day. I was startled and a little frightened by his name on caller ID because he has never called me before. Did something happen to my sister!?! Is everyone OK? Thankfully, everything was fine. He just had a kooky idea that all of the Alberts should go to Baltimore for a baseball game.
After he called me, he proceeded to call each and every one of my siblings. We all reacted the same way – is everyone OK? You have never called us! Way to scare the crap out of us. They live in St. Louis. The rest of us are scattered across the country. Furthermore, none of us really care about sports. We should drop everything and go to Maryland for a game?
Then the phone call chain started – each of us calling another to talk about that crazy call and his hare-brained idea. The more we talked, the more we understood that maybe it wasn’t so crazy. I don’t think any of us was really excited about the actual game, but it’s been a rough few years. Maybe we should recharge the familial battery.
We’ve ALL been challenged. I became a widow, of course, but there have been life changes and battles for most of us. Our brother in Maryland – the guy we’d be descending upon – has had THREE brain surgeries in the last couple of years and very recently had a mild stroke. We’ve all had heavy loads to bear. Why not gather for some fun?
Sadly, we couldn’t all squeeze this trip into our schedules, but we were able to represent Denver, St. Louis, and Atlanta in the city we once called home. My nephew organized tickets for the St. Louis Cardinals v/s Baltimore Orioles game. Plane tickets were booked. I was travelling on my own for the first time in a very long time, so I thought I’d try something new.
I boarded a midnight train from Georgia – that was something new! Other than quick little commuter trips, I’d never travelled by train before. It was cheaper than a plane and less stressful than making the drive. I loved every second of it. The other passengers were friendly and it was a very communal atmosphere. I walked around, went to the dining car for coffee, chatted, and napped. When I arrived in Baltimore, I was greeted by my best friend from 5th grade, We dined and chatted until she had to leave then my spare brother – family friend from our Baltimore days – picked me up to take me to my brother’s house.
From there, it was hugging, talking, and just general family bonding. We toured the old haunts, and told the old remember-when stories and talked about the people we knew back then and reviewed the Where Are They Now information that we had. My brother’s house is old (built in 1800) and the grounds are expansive, so exploring it was delightful. The bigger delight was just being able to see one another to confirm that we’re all still standing and thriving.
So I’m happy for that startling phone call. I’m thankful that my kids urged me to go and assured me that my home would still be standing when I got home (it is!) and I’m glad for all of the quality time spent with siblings I rarely see. A bit of time with my friend was a nice bonus. I’m grateful for the new experience with the train and I’m going to do it again at the next opportunity.
I came home feeling refreshed and ready to forge ahead with whatever comes next. My familial battery has been charged. That means MY battery has been boosted, too. Onward!
Beautiful
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