T and Me in Berlin

Our daughter is visiting me from Bern again. I say me and not us, because Erwin is at this moment across the pond busy doing research at the National Archives in Washington D.C. Her husband is in Bangladesh doing U.N. stuff. BTW…interesting that one of them is five hours ahead of Berlin and the other five hours behind. So, instead of each of us being alone in our apartments while our husbands globe trot T, decided to hop on a train from Bern to Berlin so we could spend some time together. Fabulous idea!

True, that we had just seen each other at Thanksgiving, and the month before that she helped us settle in, and the month before that we met up in Heidelberg, and before that in Florence…Not to mention that she and H will be back here for Christmas. But, before all that it had been almost a year since we had been together. *sob* Even though Erwin and I have been empty-nesters, for six years now, I still really do miss my babies. I wonder where the time went. No, one told me kids grew up and move on. It’s thrilling to watch them grow into their own lives and following their dreams, I’m proud and happy for them. But it sucks the big one when that happens to be far, far from where we are living on The Rock. Skype and email and all that modern stuff only goes so far. Sometimes a mom needs to hold her babies not just in her heart but in her arms too. It’s been great that during our year here we are in the same time zone as at least one of our kids. That’s why the frequent visits.

Being close to Christmas, this visit has been especially fun. We get to shop!! Our husbands, like most husbands, aren’t fans of shopping. We understand each other when we shop. We have the ability to be brutally honest with each other about items we’re looking at or trying on, without worrying about hurt feelings. We can wonder from store to store, take our time, ponder and compare.  We can justify this because it’s Christmas of course, and we’re shopping not just for ourselves, but for others on our lists, including our husbands.

It hasn’t been all shopping; we’ve also done some touristy things, even though she’s been here before. Besides her visit to Berlin in September, Erwin and her came here on their own back in 2003, so it’s not all new. And, since she and her husband moved from Canada to Switzerland, she’s also been showing me how to manage to cook delicious meals in a poorly equipped kitchen with ingredients that are different than what I’m used to buying at home. Basically she told me “get over it mom” and “this is what you’re going to do.” She also reminds me to breathe when I get into one of my states. Gotta love her.

But, mostly it’s been about spending time together, laughing and talking, even just being in the same room together. Just mother and daughter.