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On Second Thought
Apr. 22nd, 2007 01:03 pmIt's Sunday morning and I've been putting off that dreaded walk into the kitchen where, in the likely absence of the ever-elusive dish elves, I'll be confronted by the wreckage from last night's dinner.
Saturday night dinners are something I started last fall after my son moved out to live with his girlfriend. After that happened, it seemed important to find ways to connect with the new family the two of them were starting. Like Jay, Lissa has a little kid from a previous relationship and I wanted them to feel supported and connected and to know how important it is, to us, that they be successful.
Now, they're about to enter a whole new phase of their life together. Lissa, who has worked for years at the kinds of jobs that single moms often take to make ends meet, will be graduating with a master's in social work from Syracuse University. She's about to start her last week of classes and is nearing the end of a successful internship at a state agency which will likely hire her at its completion. After that, Jay will be going back to school or otherwise pursuing his own career track. So we're happy for her, hopeful for them, and ready to do whatever we can for their newly-blended family.
The dinner, by the way, was a success. My daughter Sarah, accompanied by her boyfriend, got home after 10 hours in the hotel kitchen, rushed into the house and made a gorgeous salad like the ones she does at work for the big banquets. She's such a great kid! And after dinner, she and JP took a plate up to the hospital because it's her mom's weekend to work.
With the exception of Sarah's salads, the meals are nothing fancy. Just, you know, the kinds of dinners people used to sit down to before the days of both parents working, working opposite shifts, working overtime. But they're genuinely home-cooked meals and once a week we all sit down at the same time at the same table. And afterward we're glad to have shared this time with our children and grandchildren and with each other.
So, the dishes, the pots and pans, the battered countertops await me. On second thought, I'm actually looking forward to them. And to doing it all again, next week...
LPK
LiveJournal
4.22.2007
Saturday night dinners are something I started last fall after my son moved out to live with his girlfriend. After that happened, it seemed important to find ways to connect with the new family the two of them were starting. Like Jay, Lissa has a little kid from a previous relationship and I wanted them to feel supported and connected and to know how important it is, to us, that they be successful.
Now, they're about to enter a whole new phase of their life together. Lissa, who has worked for years at the kinds of jobs that single moms often take to make ends meet, will be graduating with a master's in social work from Syracuse University. She's about to start her last week of classes and is nearing the end of a successful internship at a state agency which will likely hire her at its completion. After that, Jay will be going back to school or otherwise pursuing his own career track. So we're happy for her, hopeful for them, and ready to do whatever we can for their newly-blended family.
The dinner, by the way, was a success. My daughter Sarah, accompanied by her boyfriend, got home after 10 hours in the hotel kitchen, rushed into the house and made a gorgeous salad like the ones she does at work for the big banquets. She's such a great kid! And after dinner, she and JP took a plate up to the hospital because it's her mom's weekend to work.
With the exception of Sarah's salads, the meals are nothing fancy. Just, you know, the kinds of dinners people used to sit down to before the days of both parents working, working opposite shifts, working overtime. But they're genuinely home-cooked meals and once a week we all sit down at the same time at the same table. And afterward we're glad to have shared this time with our children and grandchildren and with each other.
So, the dishes, the pots and pans, the battered countertops await me. On second thought, I'm actually looking forward to them. And to doing it all again, next week...
LPK
LiveJournal
4.22.2007
