Jody

Almost twelve years ago I went to a "friend's" house for play group.  Brett and Cal were little and I was pregnant with Meg.  That "friend" proved to not be much of a friend in the end, but by knowing her I was able to meet Jody.  She is one of the funniest, most supportive people that I have ever met.  Over the past decade as our friendship has grown I have been known to call her in tears, crying over something minor to everyone else in the world, but a big deal to this Heinisch mom.

Yesterday was one of those days.  Cal had called first thing in the morning, before school started to let me know that he had injured his ankle during basketball.  When the phone rang, my stomach dropped.  I knew that it was not good news.  Cal's tennis coach had been extremely worried that this would happen.  We knew it was a possibility as well, but Cal was determined to play basketball and we knew that barring him from it would only cause him to give up tennis.  So, the worst happened and we spent the rest of the morning at the ER.  Cal was a really good sport about it all.  He found out that he chipped a couple of small bones and sprained his ankle.  He went home with a boot and two types of medication.

I spent the early part of the afternoon getting him ice, lunch and a comfortable place for his ankle to rest.  By 1:30, Cal decided that he wanted to go to school.  He had a chemistry test last period that he didn't want to have to make up, and he really wanted to go to his team's tennis match to support those playing.  I helped get him into school, talked to several of the adults questioning his injuries and our decision to let him play, and finally, co-ordinated with Tammy, Cal's ability to go to tennis with the team.

As I headed for home, I realized that I was on overload.  I began to cry.  I felt horribly guilty for allowing him to play basketball.  His tennis coach was so disappointed when I called him to let him know that Cal's out for the foreseeable future.  Doug was busy in a meeting at work and I just couldn't resolve the situation.  I decided at that time that I needed to call Jody.  I was so glad that I did.  Within ten minutes I was laughing as she told me stories of her day subbing in kindergarten complete with "accidental" haircuts and bathroom incidents.  I knew that Cal's injury was not the end of the world, but just telling someone that I was really disappointed that he wasn't going to be able to play in sectional and NLC made it a lot easier to digest.  She didn't judge me or criticize me.  I hung up and was ready to face the world again.

It's great to have a friend like Jody.  I hope that everyone does - someone to help you laugh at yourself, someone to understand that you are not perfect and neither are your children, someone with a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen. The Heinisch life would still go on without Jody, but she sure makes it a lot more fun!