In that way that life can be so poetic – I hired my youngest daughter to help me out last week during art camp. Art Camp came together 8 summers ago when her older sister was going to sleepover camp to provide her with something special while her ‘best friend’ was away.
Now she was going to help me run it.
We did not talk too much beforehand about how it was going to work other than ‘an extra set of hands’. After the girls kept arriving, in a way that made me wonder if I had really thought about 10 in its fullness, or if we were trying to set a world record on cramming people into a Volkswagen, I could not find her.
I searched everywhere and found her on her bed reading.
I said without thinking, perhaps with a hint of emotion” Name your price, I need you.”
“Do you want cash? Those high heeled suede J Crew boots that no one with orthotics should ever consider? How about a new anything followed by a ridiculous supply of whatchamacallits?”
She laughed. We came up with an amount.
The entire week she was indispensable. She worked very hard. She never complained. She was creative, kind and firm.
The children adored her. And followed her everywhere.
When people say- who are your children like? I often say they have surpassed me in every way as people.
But I must say last week I heard/saw my (good)self in her. It was a little beautiful.
