Sayin' Grace

When AK returned to us last fall for his second stay with us in foster care (AK stands for Average Kid) we started saying Grace at dinner. Pretty much it has stuck. We go around the table and each take a turn saying our own prayer/blessing/whatever you call it and it has worked. Part of the ritual is recounting who went (said Grace) last night, the night before, etc. in order to confirm whose turn it is.

So the interesting thing is in the twenty or so years we have been together, it was only two weeks ago while on vacation that The Other Mother and I, alone, have actually held hands and said "Grace" out loud. I've silently prayed with her - plenty of times, actually. She probably doesn't even know when. Holding hands, sitting, walking, laying in bed in the quiet time before sleep. But always in my head. Privately, not aloud. So when The Other Mother and I held hands and said Grace last week while the kids were at camp (and we were together on vacation) it just seemed strange.

It felt a little odd since we usually have a few kids around the table to hold hands with. Even when Baby Dee was with us, I'd hold her whole tiny little hand with just my finger tips and Bobby would stretch over to the high-chair and grab onto her sleeve to complete our family circle. Praying with just The Other Mother it seemed...I dunno. Different. Strange. But, at the same time, very, very nice.