The Value of an Hour

Yesterday took an unexpected detour to Battle Lake (3 hours from here) and back.

Jessi headed off to Camp Battle Lake - also known as my in-laws' cabin. My in-laws have a tradition that Jessi and my niece Lucy spend about a week a the cabin with them each summer. Yesterday my brother-in-law, Bobby, flew in with Lucy, we met them for lunch, and then off they headed to Battle for a few days of fun in the sun and water with Nanny and Grandpa Bob.

I headed home (down two kids now since Bethany is at camp as well - which makes me feel like I am always forgetting something!!). About two hours later I looked at the floor of the living room to see Jessi's two bathing suits and the t-shirt we had made for Lucy sitting on the floor! My heart sank.

You have to understand that Jessi has been planning this trip for months!! And since I have not had a washing maching for a few weeks she has carefully been saving exactly what she wanted to bring - esp the bathing suits. One was new, only worn once, but she had doggedly not worn it to guarantee that she would have it to wear at Battle. And she loves that I make t-shirts every year for her and Lucy to wear - seh was so excited to give Lucy the shirt!! And they were sparkly this year!

I made some phone calls, inlcuding to Jessi, and I had one very sad 8 year old. I quickly headed to the post office (it is was almost 5pm and I was hoping to get it out) but I knew it was possible it wouldn't get there until Thurs - and we would all be up there Sat - the end of camp for her.

I started playing with time in my head trying to figure out if I could drive up there. It is 6 hours round trip and I realized if I skipped my soccer board meeting I could get up there and back by about midnight. Jessi is my kid who often gets lost in the shuffle, she is trying to figure out who she is and where she belongs - she and I are so much alike that we are like oil and water. I realized that driving up there was a great opportunity to let her know that what is important to her is worth my time just because it is important to her. I know it seems silly for a couple of suits but I also understand how devastated that all her planning had gotten messed up (I am pretty sure Jordan unpacked Jessi's suitcase).

When I ws about 16 I had a band concert I wasn't allowed to miss that conflicted with a basketball tournament. My dad drove me all the way to The Hague (from Frankfurt) the day after the concert so I could play basketball. I am guessing it was about a 20 hour round trip drive - that he did in one day - just because he knew that that tournament was important to me. That was over 20 years ago and I am still grateful for the love and sacrfifice he gave me.

Will Jessi remember this for 20 years? Probably not - but she will remember it this week - and she knows it was something that was done JUST for her HER - not for any of her siblings - just her!! And there are two scenerios - either it didn't matter to her much and I wasted 6 hours and a tank of gas - not that much considering the alternative - that it did matter and did send the message to her that she is important to me!

So what is the value of an hour - sometimes priceless :)