July was a busy month in my neck of the woods! Hurricane Beryl dealt a devastating blow to the Houston area on July 8. A month later, and many are still waiting for tree debris removal and repairs to homes and roofs. My house lost power for 7 days. I spent a few of those nights with daughter Katie, Chad and family. Thank you grandson Jacob for always sharing your comfy bed! I also had a trip planned during the last part of my power outage.
Several months ago, my friend, Pat, invited me to a Compassionate Friends conference in New Orleans. She and her lovely daughter have been attending for many years. This would be my first. The conference is held every year in July in a different city. The annual grief conference supports families after the death of a child with workshops, sharing sessions, and events. There were a thousand in attendance.
After noodling on it some, I told her there was an issue. The conference coincided with Mimi's birthday. Lots of members of my family and I, wherever we live, celebrate her special day with a McDonald's Happy Meal. It's a way to remember and honor Mimi. So hard for me to believe she would have been 40 years old on July 13.
"I can't go to the conference unless I pause at lunch, or dinner, with a Happy Meal," I explained to my friend.
Pat was intrigued and said she wanted to be included!
Now I had to just figure out how to make that happen. It seemed there wasn't a McDonald's close to our hotel. I like to think my techie daughter, Katie trained me to embrace technology even though my speed is at the pace of a turtle. I actually downloaded the Uber Eats app and talked to the Bell Captain at the hotel. He assured me Uber Eats delivered all the time to his desk.
After the morning workshop, with a lump in my throat, I ordered a couple of Happy Meals. About 20 minutes later, they magically appeared at the hotel! I was very surprised! It was probably the most expensive Happy Meals purchased on the planet, but ask me if I cared. Anxiety attack averted!
As for the grief conference, did I take away any crumbs of comfort? I did ... several. One is unusual. Since Mimi and Rick passed away, I haven't played any music in my house. It's very quiet. I think I'm waiting to hear Mimi hum. I don't know.
During one of the grief workshops we talked about music and how healing it could be. When I got home, I casually mentioned to Katie and Chad I might be ready to converse with Alexa. Of course, the following week an Echo Dot magically appeared through the back door in Chad's hands. Gosh, I now have my own playlist.
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