It was working up to be a perfect storm of frenzied activity when I got a text message from my son saying he had to talk to me in 40 minutes – it was important.  And for that moment the swirling energy around me stopped.  What could possibly be so important that he had to set a time for us to talk?  For the next 40 minutes I came up with a rather impressive list of possibilities and was ranking them as to my preference.  Of course I was hoping it was something like “I’m out of socks and need you to fed ex me some”.

Meanwhile, I had a pie in the oven in preparation for the early Thanksgiving dinner we’re having to accommodate multiple family schedules. The heating contractor came in hour 4.5 of the 4 hour window they gave me and announced that I have no gas pressure and probably a leak on the line.  My other son casually mentioned he was asked to the big winter formal dance next week and needs a tux.  And my daughter was sent home from school with a bad cold/cough (yes, I got “the call”…).

I had just ushered my semi-sick daughter out the door with the dog who was going crazy with the workman in the house when my son called.  I could tell by the tone of his voice that he was not ok.  Without going into all the details, let me just say he is physically ok, he is not in jail, he is not quitting school and he is not going to be a father. (those were all my top worries…).  But a friend of his was seriously injured in a situation where he was standing in for TJ and it shook him to the core.  The realization that it could have been him brought him face to face with mortality.  And it made me wish he was flying home for Thanksgiving instead of going to a friend’s on the opposite side of the country.  It’s times like that that a boy needs his mom, and vice versa!

Needless to say, the drama of the leaking gas line, the faux-flu, and the needed tux faded from my reality.  All that mattered was that my son was ok but needed me and I was grateful to be around for him.  Getting back to basics is what true Thanksgiving is all about.