A Berrett Good Time

My brother-in-law, Bob Berrett, has been in need of a new knee for awhile now.  He has been putting it off, knowing that the following convalescence would take more time than he wanted to spend.  He worries about my sister, Maryanne, and the help she needs right now.  So I volunteered to help out when he decided to do the surgery.  That took place on January 25th.  So I headed to Draper, Utah, to assist where I could.  I spent 11 days with them.  The surgery went well and the convalescence has set in, as predicted.  It is easy to forget how long it takes to heal when one is outside of the experience.  Once in, it is hard to be patient.  It is hard for Bob.  He wants to be on his feet RIGHT NOW.  But all good things take time.

Bob in his kingdom.

Maryanne and I set up a routine; regular ice for Bob's knee; fixing food that he would eat (that's tricky as Bob doesn't especially like food); making sure he is warm and comfortable.  Then doing Maryanne's hair and helping her with various other things.  In between, we did some personal history and watched Hallmark movies.  The time passed quickly and pleasantly.  It might look as if being involved with this kind of caring would be hard and unpleasant but I did not find it so.  Instead, I found myself enjoying being with Bob and Maryanne.  There is something nourishing to the soul about being useful.  For some reason I have need of being just that.  It is rewarding to me.

Maryanne and I visited with our first foster daughter, Laura White, one day.  We bonded over Jamba Juice.  Laura is retiring from her house cleaning business and going on a mission.  LIfe has not been easy for her, but she has a buoyancy about her, and an enthusiasm for life.  She is a lovely girl and soon will be headed to Independence, MO for an 18 month mission.  She is so excited!  She is a lovely "spark plug" kind of girl who, I feel, is greatly treasured by the Lord for her faithfulness and
joyful spirit.

Laura and me at our Jamba Juice meeting.

Maryanne was with us too.

We spent a little time with nephews too.  B&M's sons Brent, Mark and Bryan, all came to visit.  Bryan's wife Jessica (yet another family "Jessica") came with two of her children.  It was such fun connecting with her little bundle of energy, Maggie.

Jessica with son James and daughter, Maggie.

One of my gripes about traveling without Layne is that he never communicates with me while I'm gone.  By the time I return home, he is always happy to see me, but I tend to feel a bit miffed about his lack of communication.  But this time he sent me texts every day!  I felt so connected to him.  When I got home I felt so warm and loving towards him.  Wow.  I knew this is how it could be and, this time, it was!  I think men don't always realize how important communication is to us women.  We like to bond on many levels.  Men seem to be perfectly happy to localized that bonding to just one rather physical category.

It is good to be home once again.  I'm finding that I need to readjust to where things are here.  I spent just enough time at the Berretts to get used to a routine and locations for things.  When Layne is home without me, he always manages to do something extra.  It is fun to discover his surprises.  This time he mended the laundry room ceiling, which has needed to be done for months.  He cleaned places I've ignored, in some cases ever since we came here.  He takes pleasure in accomplishment and I find that I do too.  So I'm enjoying his hard work and I'm back in my element here at home, and happy to be so.