Out of touch

I have a very small family and we have always been close. When my Dad died in September 1987, I became even closer to Mom and Kara. We all lived together until I married Rich. In the 17 years since Dad died, I have spoken to Kara and/or Mom every single day. Sometimes it's a quick, "Hey, how are things going?" Other times we have long conversations. Occasionally Kara will call me first thing in the morning to say,"I'm gonna be wicked busy today so I won't have time to call you." See, that's how close we are. She calls me to tell me she won't have time to call me! Now,that's love.

If Kara is in Maine and Mom and I can't reach her by phone, Mom and I end up chatting a little longer than usual. We don't plan that but it just happens. If Mom is on vacation, Kara and I talk every day or at the very least we email each other if she is swamped with paper work or has people coming in to apply for a mortgage. There is a sense of comfort that we get from our check-ins.

Which leads me to how horrible the past 7 days have been for me. Mom and Kara left last Saturday for a trip to Aruba. They were told there would be no reception there so they didn't bring their cell phones. They bought a calling card for $17 for 30 minutes but it was to call Peter and John (their significant others). They did call us on Thursday night but I was at work and Lillianna was out with Rich. Their message on our voice mail made me cry.I miss them! I feel disconnected. We have never gone this long without talking in the past 17 years.Thank G-d they'll be home tonight and that we'll be together tomorrow night for dinner.We have a lot of catching up to do.

How often do you talk to your family?