Mitch and I were chatting this afternoon on YM. It was hot and everything was moving in slow motion. I was glad when Mitch texted me to say she’s online and we can chat like we always do when she gets the chance to get connected.
I was showing off my new Multiply banner to her. 
The first thing she said was---
“Darl! THE KEYS”, that sounds like a movie title.”
“Hey,” I replied, “you think you can make a home movie about my love story?”
And we went on to think up other titles for the “imaginary movie”. Like The Kissing Keys which seemed totally hilarious. We were giggling so much about the impossibility of the thought -up titles that the audio decided we were sounding totally inane and needed to be cut off. We gave up video chat when Mitch’s Wi-Fi connection became too weak that the video froze and the audio became choppy. We resorted to typing and went on to chat about other stuff, then we discussed her internship resume and she let me read what she had done so far. I was impressed. The girl is smart, but I expected no less. I was teaching her to read and write at age 3. Both she and JB already knew how to read and write even before they started school.
I chatted for a while with 5 year old Raphael and Mitch asked me if we could try the video chat again. Raphael was screaming with glee when he saw me on webcam.
“Mommy Darling, I can see you, I can see you.” He said how he misses me and wants to see me soon so can I come visit him? It was gratifying to feel soooo missed when we were together all morning and afternoon just the other day. 
Children have been such a big part of my life. There was my niece Angie, Raphael’s mom, who was only 3 months old when she came to us. I was her little surrogate mother. I fuzzed over her after school, I will rush through my homework and take her everywhere with me on my bike. I stopped hanging out with my friends so I can come home early to spend time with her. I thought her to love books, and supported her through college. And look at her now, a highly successful HR Manager of a big company and earning big bucks.
There is Mitch. I taught her to sing when she was only 3. I am torn between jumping with pride and having a heart attack when she is performing. Aside from taking after me in her love for books and writing, she has this special talent for singing and she has the voice of an angel that touches the hearts of those who hear her. She is my goddaughter and I’m mighty proud of her. Just another year and she will graduate from college.
Then there’s my adopted daughter Jaybee, a very special girl. Everyone who knows me knows the story of JB’s life and how I came to raise her up as my daughter. She is also in college and is into cooking. She cooks really well, and I admit she didn’t get that from me. :) Steve and I are seeing both girls through college. It’s our dream to see them starting off their adult lives with all the pluses we can possibly give them.
It’s really a hot afternoon. Thinking about the girls, about Raphael, and thinking about how these kids have brought both joy and pain in my life took my mind off the humidity. The great part of my life spent looking out for them is worth it.
My greatest reward? The chance to spend the rest of my life with Steve. 
What???? You see no connection????
Neither do I. 
I just wanted to say it.
