Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Working with my daughter

Danielle, my 22 year old daughter came to work with me a couple of weeks ago.  So far it has been very good.  We had begun to lose touch; she was in school and working in the evenings at a local restaurant.  Losing my father, then my son and. then Jonathan, my former husband and partner through most of the mission (his failing health required that he move back to LA so that his son could take care of him), all in 1 year, were painful reminders of just how fleeting life and relationships can be.  I knew I wanted to be close to my daughter but my attempts had been fruitless; she was so busy.  When she called one afternoon, crying because her feet hurt so much from being on them for 12 hours a day (she's flat footed), I acted on an impulse and invited her to come to work for me.  Much to my surprise, she accepted...and was very excited about it.  Yay!

I've been quite impressed with the organization skills that Danielle possesses, especially in light of the fact that her bedroom looks like a tornado mated with a hurricane and had babies in it.  Seems that the 5 planets in Capricorn in her natal chart which I knew would make her organized and a good leader finally showed.  Not only that, she has shown me a few tricks on the computer thanks to her high school computer training. 
What most pleases me is seeing my child two days a week..even if only for a few hours each time.  I am taking advantage of these opportunities, not only to provide her with the skills she will need to some day own her own business, but to forge a relationshop that will hopefully heal the final wounds between us and carry us forward.

Danielle's Mother Day gift to me was a little footstool that she hand painted.  It's purple with yellow daffodils on it (my favorite flower).  I love it!  I decided that instead of working that day (he works Tuesdays and Sundays) we would take the day to play.  So we went to lunch and the mall for a bit of shopping.  In times when joy is hard to find with all the challenges we face, a day with my daughter is even more special.