Love You Forever

The last couple of days have been a challenge.  Some unexpected medical news in the family came and I find myself feeling rather vulnerable to life's whims and caprices, even though I knew those risks and events come to everyone.  The good news is that while there will be a "new normal" in my family, everyone is relatively healthy and in full capacity, even though the landscape has changed.  With this context, I've been thinking a lot about the book "Love You Forever," although I have kind of a love/hate relationship with it.  If you don't know, it's a children's book about a new mom who sings this song "I'll love you forever" to her newborn son.  It follows the mom and son through life until the mom's death at the end of the book.  (Why do they end a children's book with a death?  So hard to know.)  It's so cute, but also a little creepy.  Like why does the mom drive across town to stalk her adult son?  But the end with the mom who is old and sick always, always gets me. 

My sister - damn her - gave me the book when Punkin was born and I would read it to Punkin and then always choke up at the end.  It literally took 18 months before I could read it the whole way through without tears.  Then Punkin became obsessed with it, I read it about 200 times in a row, and got over the tears.  Reading something 200 times in a row will do that to you.  Now Punkin can recite the "Love You Forever" poem easily.  Sometimes it is really cute, but never when I can get it on camera.  [So I have video of Punkin sayng the "Love You Forever" poem, but I can't get it to upload.  Sorry.  Instead here is a random shot of Punkin, Rodney & Wes.  Still cute, although not as topical.]

Also, besides bad medical news, just to make yesterday a really banner day, I dented my car on one of those concrete warning pole things on the way in to the parking garage.  It is the worst of all worlds because I felt like an idiot AND it is going to be really expensive.  Some days I am cursed.