Balancing

Daughter has a track meet tomorrow for Special Olympics. I have a memorial service. When the family set up this date for the service and made their travel arrangements, I didn't know that the track meet would be tomorrow. Obviously, I can't be in two places at once, so hopefully I have a respite provider lined up to go to the track meet with Daughter (I say hopefully because the coordinator hasn't called me back yet to confirm-- but I requested it a month ago.)

This week Daughter's been telling me how much she'll miss having me at the track meet. I keep assuring her that I will miss being there, too. Fortunately, this doesn't happen very often, but there are times when she has events at the same time I have responsibilities at the church. She knows that she is my top priority, and she also knows that there are times when I have to put the needs of the church first.

It is especially difficult for her because most of her friends have extended family in the area. They have grandparents who can step in and pick up the slack, or aunts, uncles, or even siblings. They don't understand that Daughter doesn't have other family in the area, and so they ask her questions. I know she feels bad when I'm not there.

I'll take some extra time with her and find a way to show her that she's still my priority. She'll take her cell phone, and I'll tell her to call me and tell me how she does in her events. It won't be the same, but it will have to do.