So many people said to me: how can you stand working with your husband all day? My answer was: It helps to have your back against the wall. I would have done anything to be at home when Michael got off the school bus. This was the path that opened for me. It actually turned out that I liked the work.
Michael played quietly in his own world. In the basement he built a small city with buildings, streets. a railroad, tiny people. This was called Stewartville because we had nice neighbors up the street who loved Michael and their last name was Stewart. I believed in encouraging Michael’ creative interests so I didn’t make him sit at the dinner table with us if he was deeply involved in creating Stewartville. I brought him a plate of cheese and crackers.
Then we had a long day of stormy rain and water gushed in, soaking Stewartville. I cried and cried. Why didn’t we live in a better house where there was more room and no water coming in?
Michael’s comment: “Don’t cry Mom. I will rebuild.”
And he did re-build this tiny town complete with a town square, with a monument to those who lost their lives in the flood.
lgmwriting 