Kindness

Today was the get-together of friends and family to celebrate the little one's birthday. However, dear Irena turned up with a bunch of long stemmed roses for me. She said, 'The mother often gets forgotten.' How very kind and sweet. Not only had she already bought a gift for the bub, and complemented me on my Russian piroshki, but she stayed at length after the function to help me pack and clean up. She also manages to be super healthy and fit and looks like Helen Mirren, but better. She is an inspiration. 

However, it almost seems unfair to single out Irena since I received kindness from so many quarters: the tireless kitchen hand stepmother, the not-quite-what-I-meant-but-thank-you-for-trying father, the attention-to-detail not-in-laws, the patient ex-husband and his mother who supported the cake-decorating daughter (also feeling nauseous), the blow-up-a-hundred-balloons son and the fabulous Kathy-with-the-key-to-venue. It really was a team effort. And thank God it's done!!!