Ties that bind us.

I love having a plan. It is in my DNA. That is how I function. Even if the plan goes awry. Or gets tossed. I still love having the plan.

And so it was. I had plans. For Sunday. Until I got the call. Saturday night. Sister from Virginia. Her grown-up youngest child had been in an accident. He was in ICU. She couldn't get to him for a good 24 hours. I offered. She accepted. I packed. I was gone by 7:00 Sunday.

Here I must say,  I love driving through my state. Especially the Delta. There is something so earthy over in the Delta. Miles upon miles of farmland. Fields with row upon row. Vacant of crops this time of year. Silos dot the landscape. Cotton gins are recognized easily. Some are ghosts. Land of the blues. Small towns that boast easy cash stores, big banks, and several tractor dealerships. Homes that still look like sharecropper houses. You don't have to close your eyes to think you are in a time warp. Just look around. Oh brother where are thou.

Seeing the nephew's face was worth more than a thousand words. It was a relief to see and know that injuries were specific to one body area and, in time, would heal. Lucky stars were thanked that mobility wasn't affected at all. Ribs and one lung. Serious. Not life threatening. In time the lung will re-inflate. The ribs will heal. His plans will resume. He knows. He knows how very fortunate he is.

Sister and husband arrived late Sunday night. I had already left to find a niece's house and spend the night. She has four precious children. They kept calling me by my sister's name. She visited last summer and they still relish her visit. Niece and her husband were so warm and welcoming. I was utterly at home with them. I even got to attend the 6 year old's birthday dinner. This morning we all shared a pot of oatmeal. The baby didn't get a bowl of her own. She finished off two of her sibling's bowls of oatmeal. It was like "It's a Wonderful Life" right there in my niece's kitchen. Life was teaming all around.

Then I drove back home. Back past the barren fields. Back past the tractor stores. Farm houses and barns.

My people. This big clan of mine. What can I say? I needed to do this. I needed to be there. We need each other. We are there for each other in crisis. We are bound by love.

Hug your family today.