Chore was put on hold

This is the time of year that I get an irresistible urge to paint. I had the loose paint on the side porch scraped off and the railing partially dismantled. The primer had already been applied to the bare spots. It was a perfect fall day and the afternoon was going to be ideal for applying the creamy liquid.
I was at the local farmer’s market when the call came. “We’re on our way to Portland, Is that swap meet this weekend?” my sister-in-law, Diana, asked. All of a sudden my plans changed.
I asked her where they were, fearing they were already at the house. Luckily, they were still close to their home. I did some quick calculations and guessed that I had time to do my regular Saturday shopping if I omitted a few stops.
So much for painting.
I quickly finished my shopping then called to see where they were. No answer. I put the groceries away and headed to the meat market. A cute toddler provided much needed distraction. My phone rang and Diana said she and Michael were about 20 minutes away and had just finished lunch.
I stashed my purchases in the refrigerator and fixed a quick sandwich. They pulled into the driveway as soon as I took the first bite. We visited for awhile before they said they were headed to the swap meet.
Knowing that both of them can look at stuff that I consider junk but they consider to be treasures for what seems like forever, I started painting the porch. Imagine my surprise when they pulled up less than an hour later. I had hoped to have the painting finished before they got back. But there I was in my tattered painting clothes and bare feet with splotches of white on my arms.
I kept the paintbrush in my hand as we visited some more. Diana remarked on my jade plant and I gave her a couple of starts from it along with a pot of an anonymous houseplant. She showed me a picture of a 45-pound catfish she had caught. When I asked how she landed such a big fish, she told me Michael had hauled it in for her. They made plans to go fishing after they got back home.
After we bid our goodbyes, I finished painting. I still have to reassemble the railing and do a little more painting before the project will be finished but the worst of it is done.
The best thing about the weekend was not the near completion of a project, it was an unexpected visit from my brother and his wife. They live more than an hour away and rarely come for a visit. Michael works a lot of overtime and isn’t always home when I get down their way.
I believe that family trumps everything. Porches will always need upkeep and that upkeep will wait until tomorrow.
Families also need upkeep. Families are what shape our lives. Our loved ones share the same memories and the same stories. They also give us new stories to tell.
Our families are with us in bad times and good. Nobody else can care about our aging mother as much as another of her children. Nobody else has that same amount of love and frustration as someone who shares some of the same DNA.
We talk about the joys of raising children. As the oldest, I give my brothers a preview of what it is like to have grandchildren. They remind me of when I had as much energy as they do.
Making time for loved ones is not only more important than maintaining a porch, it is vital to keeping the connections between us strong. As much as I enjoy painting, sharing time with family is quite a bit more fun. I look forward to the next time they drop in.[[In-content Ad]]