So the "fun" for Lucas' graduation weekend probably started when we decided I should apply for an expeditated passport since I couild not get an appointment for a Real ID.
Naturally I could not find any copies of my birth certificate. So my mother, who also lives in North Carolina, found a copy from 1967 and overnighted it to me in package so sealed for safety we had trouble opening it ourselves.
We spent the money for the expeditation and breathed a sigh of relief.
In the meantime, here's what this past week has looked like across the family, the Illiniois family and the North Carolina family: COVID, two ER trips for two different family members (including me; the barium in the photo is mine), an ER plumbing issue, power outage in ninety-three degrees, a romantic breakup, missing carryon bag with medication that had to be checked (found later destroyed), another illness overnight that prevented a grandparent from attending graduation, and one person in North Carolina that overslept and missed the graduation altogether.
Then we had trouble loading the virtual link and missed Lucas walking in (but we were jubilantly present when he received his diploma and watched him walk out as new graduate of the Class of 2025.
So this afternoon, we will have a Zoom celebration, and I will read Lucas my "Message to the Class of 2020," which I read to my two nieces at our Zoom celebration of their high school and college graduations in May 2020, because these same sentiments apply.
The one thing that did work out for us this week is that we all commiserated together.
This above list of "experiences" doesn't even make believable fiction. But it's all true, and it all happened to us over these past few days.
But those are the key words: "we" and "us."
Whenever we go through these trials, we remind each other that some people don't have "we" and "us."
In fact, WE see it all the time in the ER: people who are there alone, without "we" and "us."
Which is worse? Being alone and having everything go right and according to plan? Or having everything go wrong but having it all go wrong with togetherness?
While you're mulling on that question, you've probably missed Chekhov's gun.
Well, that's because I'm missing it, too.
I'm referring to the "expedited" passport.
I received an email an hour ago. It should be here on Wednesday.
Happy Monday!
