Sunday, September 12, 2010

New York Trip

This weekend we met our daughters in New York. It was a wonderful weekend with mostly cool and sunny weather. Usually on returning from a trip, I would call my dad and tell him all about it. He would love hearing the details. So this post is what I would tell him if I could.

First I would tell him about the view from the hotel, where every morning the sun came up, touching the tops of the high rise buildings. And about the sign that said, "Now more than ever, you need to be world wise."



We would laugh about the petty arguments and lengthy discussions we had about where to eat and shop. I'd tell him about what I learned: that we really don't have to spend every minute together for it to be a successful weekend. I would mention the museum where the exhibit consisted of things made from feathers and bones and dandelions. And the mall where a nude giant man and woman graced the lobby.



I would talk about the city lights and the fast-moving cars and people, the crowded streets and the alluring and repulsive smells of the city.



We met the girls' boyfriends, and we liked them, I'd say. Each well-suited to the daughter's personality. All three boyfriends are kind and good to them. He would know that a parent always wants the best for their kids.



Althought he never read this blog, I would talk about this post where I speculated about how my daughters' apartments looked, and how they were just as I imagined them.





I wish you could have been with us, I'd say, when we went to see the play Fela! The dancers and music were out of this world, and the story was disturbing (yes, children, it was disturbing!) and he'd say he bet he would have liked it. You need to go with us next time, Dad. Yeah, I will, he'd say, but we both knew he wouldn't go.



I'd tell him about the beautiful cathedral we went in...



...and that I lit a candle just for him.



At the end of the conversation, I'd tell him how hard it is to say good-bye to everybody after a nice weekend, and he'd know just what I meant.

6 comments:

trisha said...

Pretty sure he knows about your trip and wishes he could have been with you.

Peggy Payne said...

Wonderful, Mamie. In so many ways.

trisha said...

What am I thinking...he was with you the whole time.

Mamie said...

Now, Trisha, you know how I feel about that "watching me from above" stuff - makes me very nervous. ;)

Thanks, Peggy. I thought about you while I was there, how nervy it was to be on your own for the duration of your stay. I kept asking myself, "Could I do it?"

Virginia S. Wood, Psy.D. said...

Don't know how I missed this one when it first came out. I was weeding through my thousands (yes, thousands!) of e-mails looking for just one. . . and out popped this gem. This is beautiful. Sweet, and sad, and your photos rock.

Mamie said...

VA, Thanks for catching up. Glad yo uliked the post.