First Week

It has almost been a full week since Laura moved in with me.  I still cannot believe it.  I keep feeling that she only planned to stay a month or two before moving back in with her mom.  But, she is settling herself in.  She is planning on installing shelves in her room that indicates she does plan on staying for a while.  I hope she plans on staying a long while.  I want her to stay forever.

Laura is a motivating presence.  I have been doing small home improvements to make her feel less like a refugee and more like a young woman on the first steps of a new life.  Before she arrived, I fixed her bedroom door so that it can close all the way.  Yesterday, I installed a doorknob on the door and modified the door so that I could hand the door mirror she brought over.  I removed a portable closet from the laundry room so that she could have room for additional storage space if she so needs.  Even Wendy has been motivated to clean and to straighten out her bedroom.

Yesterday morning I was on the front porch with Laura.  She started crying.  She was stressed over her recovery.  Her clothes are starting to fit tight and she is a little bit horrified at the 25 pounds she has gained.  If I were take a guess, I would say her current weight is 95 pounds if even that.  After she left for her outpatient program, I went to CVS to get her a sympathy card.  I found a card that gave a humorous spin on the "If life gives you lemons" cliché.  Inside the card I wrote, "Laura, you are a bundle of awesomeness wrapped up with a bow of extraordinary. No change in pant size nor number on a scale can ever change that."  When she read the card, she thanked me but I was hoping for a least a big hug. 

A thought that has been bothering me is when Laura finds a boyfriend and that boyfriend is not me.  I am just trying to enjoy the time now that I have with her.  I am very thankful and happy for the time I get to spend with her.  That is a phrase I do not write very often.  I am happy.