We are family

Last night, I saw a family reunited.  While walking the dog, I waited in anticipation for Hilary's car to appear around the curve and pull into her usual parking spot in front of her apartment. By this point, I had already taken out the trash, lent an eye to the mouthwatering fragrance emitting from the crockpot, made the bed, swept the kitchen, and generally tidied up. The last thing left was walking the dog. I wanted everything to be perfect when she arrived, for this was finally the blessed day on which her children came home forever.

Hilary loved being in a family before the separation and divorce, in fact, I truly believe it was her reason for living. She seemed to miss every facet of what the bond stood for and what it provided her heart and soul with. She doesn't know this but I prayed daily for the moment when her kids could move back so that she could hold them whenever she wanted or needed to. See, I could tell that Hilary was missing something inside, and although she was almost always a positive and upbeat individual, behind it there was a secret longing. She wanted to feel like a mother again. Her children are the entire world to her, so of course, they are also very important to me.

The dog stopped dead in her tracks, lifting both ears to the sound of a car pulling up behind us. She turned around, ran, and dragged me towards the blue Saturn that I had been waiting on. As the driver door opened, I could immediately hear little voices screaming in excitement. My heart lifted as Hilary and her daughter, Cori got out of the car. I turned the dog's leash over to Cori and offered my help to her mother in removing her son, Avery from the carseat.

To make a long story short, the evening was filled with dinner, the Disney Channel, bath time, then finally with pictures and popcorn. Most of the time I kept myself out of the way, doing dishes or cleaning up the kitchen, while Hilary was a mother to her children. It was so special to watch the three of them interact and I fully enjoyed being a fly on the wall, watching a family just be. I felt warm every time Hilary scooped up one of her angels, spun them around, and planted kisses on their little faces. She looked happy and it radiated from her like the brightest sunshine.  I felt like I was part of a family again, the mom handling the kids baths while the dad cleaned up dinner and picked up the toys. It's very surreal to feel like that, like a living scene from your favorite movie. It was that moment when I realized that I missed being a part of a family as much as Hilary did. Maybe that's what I exist for, perhaps its what I long for. It sure felt like it as we laughed, wrestled, and snacked our way through Mikey's Clubhouse. It was a wonderfully complete feeling and I'm so lucky to have experienced it. Last night, I saw a family reunited.