Any minute now...

Any minute now I'm going to hear one of my kids' cute little voices. "Do you know where my Mom is?" It never fails, and honestly, my hiding spot isn't that great. I work from home, so the best place to look is at my desk, but it's truly the last place they look, so it appears to be the best place to hide! So I'm here, gathering my thoughts and I know that any moment I'll be discovered... here on the couch.

So, it's a big week for me. For my family. My brother, whom I haven't seen in 15 years, is here, in Chicago, visiting me! 15 years is almost half of my life, I was really just a kid last time I saw him... and the circumstances weren't the best, to be honest... but time passes and people grow and change and well... here we are. Brad has been here since last night and other than work (he's here on business, but asked to be sent here so we could reunite) he'll be here for 2 weeks. I can't even express how awesome it is to sit next to him in the car, across from him at dinner, to tell him something funny that one of the kids did today. My big brother. Such a strange concept to wrap my head around. Most people are tortured by their older brothers growing up, but I have had the benefit of skipping all of the sibling angst and going right to the good stuff.

It's so funny, we started communicating again last March, and we've slowly gotten to know one another. It's been difficult due to our schedules and my inability to carry on a conversation without enormous distractions all around me, but suddenly he's here and I'm talking to him face to face and making him dinner in my home and I feel that gap closing. I am starting to feel like maybe he HAS always been here, in our lives. Those long years of absence are fading from the picture and I just see the two of us moving forward and becoming friends. Sharing our ups and downs the way that brothers and sisters who have grown up together do.

This is a big week for my family. My kids have gained an uncle (and a cousin!) that cares for them. They can now put a face with a name, and in time, when they're old enough, they will have the benefit of looking back on this experience to learn about forgiveness and starting over. At 34, I am just learning this lesson myself.

Looking forward to the next 2 weeks...