Rare pleasure

It's my mother's 71st birthday today.

I usually try to visit my parents once evry 4-6 weeks. Oftne the visits are somewhat frantic as I try to carve out a solid piece of time that fits between the eating, errands and other agendas.

But this recent trip was different. We had dinner together, both my parents and wife and son - all 5 of us. Our banter had a soothing effect on me.

As we were driving off that night, their faces lit up when we reversed our car out of the porch. Having this peaceful moment with my mum was special. I savoured it as I sat watching mum talk during dinner.

So often my parents and I meet on the run. Their lives are carefully regimented and rigid mostly by their own choice. And mine often feels like a series of pit stops between laps of a race.

But this time all 5 of us had really been there at dinner, together, fully focused on each other, sharing the moment. It felt good.