Perhaps he’s not the most wonderful doctor of all, but Dr. F is pretty darn cool. I’ve known him since the days of bedside nursing when he was in his fellowship (I think), or residency. Anyway, I sent him an email after YaYa spiked a fever of 102.8 degrees fahrenheit and he told us to come on down.

I tried not to show how disappointed I was that he wasn’t playing. Honestly, I could care less if other parents saw my disappointment. I just didn’t want YaYa to see it.

Please know, it’s not that I think my son is Mr Sports Star; it’s just that he puts so much effort into it.

Well, YaYa didn’t step foot on the court until things were well past unrecoverable. He pushed hard and did his best. He even got a chance to shoot. And although his shot didn’t quite make it in, it did circle the rim.

After the game, YaYa reflected on the game. He admitted that he’d made some mistakes and realized that he was pulled out because of it. He said that it was just an off day but that he’d do better next time. I’m so proud of him.

In spite of the challenges of BoBo’s coughing into the wee hours of the night (and his girlfriend calling the house phone during these same hours), his visit was good.  We had a few heart-to-heart talks on serious stuff like finances, relationships, and why women are, um, the way we are.  We also managed to spend some quality time together and still allow him plenty of time to spend with his friends.

I have mixed feelings about his return to Georgia. On one hand, as I look around the now-cluttered dwelling I call home and feel the effects of my body getting “not sick,” I am relieved that my life is able to go back to normal. On the other hand, I miss those “family” moments that we used to take for granted and now rarely get to enjoy.

Fortunately, thanks to my friend and professional photographer, I have a nice collection of photographic memories (portraits) to remind me of how blessed I am to have this beautiful family. Here’s one of the many favorites he took.

As always, BoBo’s visit was kicked off with a visit from a number of his friends. And, even though they all took off when it got late, I still lost sleep waiting for my boy to make it home safely. It’s not that I don’t trust him. It’s that I am his mom and, in my world, that’s just what mom’s do.

At 6 am, I woke to find BoBo rummaging through the cupboards for something to calm his cough. I was glad to hear that he wasn’t up all night. I made him up a cup of hot lemon water with honey and before long he was back in bed — sound asleep.

It’s too bad that I’m not sleeping too.

YaYa and I are spending Christmas day away from home and, unlike a couple of years ago, I’m not breaking down in tears. Actually, I’m excited.

We’re spending Christmas with my love’s loving and wonderfully welcoming family. I’ve been seeing many photos of tamales being prepared for the special occasion all over Facebook. A few days later, BoBo flies home and we’ll celebrate our own family Christmas. The morning we’ll do our present exchange, brunch, and family bonding. A bit later in the day, my siblings and parents will join us.

Because it’s been 5 years (or maybe just because it came into my mind), each boy will receive 1 gift in memory of their father. YaYa will get a watch just like the one his dad wore (his father’s watch is broken), BoBo will get 3 meditation CDs that his dad used to force him to listen to (because I was urged to give them to him), and DD will get a memory box with a photo of father & son and a poem his dad wrote about him when he was raising him alone. I hope and pray that each growing boy will gain something positive from the gift I’ve chosen to share with them.