Anne's Blog

Patricia's baby George Michael Dad being sad at being alone on Xmas

My daughter-in-law, Lauren, graduated from K-State earlier today.  Her parents had a graduation celebration @Q39 which is a BBQ place right around the corner from where I live. That being said, I did not have to walk there. Lauren and Mitchell and Lauren's friend, Becca, came to get me. Her parents paid for food and drinks for a lot of people which was so incredibly generous. I had two glasses of a very adequate Pinot Grigio and a tasty veggie burger. It was a really nice dinner. The best part of the night was after the dinner, however. My oldest son, who lives with me now has needed a new pair of work pants for awhile. We ended up going to the Target in Merriam. Lauren drove. Becca sat in the passenger seat. Mitchell, Nathaniel and I sat crammed in the back seat. I was on the left behind the driver. Mitchell was in the middle and Nathaniel rounded us out in the backseat on the right. Randomly, I thought about how self-limiting my life has become and how good it felt to break out o...

It has been a good year probably one of the better ones I have had in recent years. My grandson was born in January and my own oldest son moved back to KC after living away for the past 7 years. A couple times in recent months, all 3 of my sons have been in the same room with me at the same time for the first time since my mom died in January 2013. I am far from lonely. I am a lucky, grateful woman. I have many good friends whom I care about deeply and see regularly. I have my 3 wonderful sons to keep me grounded and to remind me of who I was and am. My own sons grew up way too fast but life has gifted me with another sweet little boy to watch grow up.

     Sometimes, I like to write about things other than army coats and bar stools. Sometimes, grown men don't abandon women at restaurants at 2am and leave them to walk home alone. Sometimes, men hold their hand out to a woman and, when confronted with their own vulnerability, admit to it instead of telling the woman they imagined it. Sometimes, I learned tonight, that there are men who will meet a woman in the dark halfway so she doesn't have to walk home alone. I know because one met me like that tonight.      He surprised me with his unexpected kindness. I shared my vegetarian egg foo young with him once we got back to my apartment. He liked it. Of course. Vegetables are good for you. He even braved what he calls "Crack Ridge Alley" to walk me home. Sometimes, men do thoughtful things and it was nice to feel extra safe for once. Quiet heroes are tall too, like the men who wear the Army coats, but they can also wear over-sized, green hoodies and sweatpa...