Conrad took his parents on a last hiking adventure beyond our garden in the woods. It’s Friday. The days are hot, but not before 10AM. The mornings are beautiful cool, or warm, or breezy. The type of temperature you want the time to stand still in.

On their way back they stopped at our storage to pick up the middle seat for the minivan. Ivy got eager. about the new arrangements and switched seats. She pulled the door of the car before she pulled her hand in, and her middle finger got stuck. A yelp came out. The nail turned blue right away. By the time they got home where Jackie and I were cooling down after a long walk down and up the hill, ivy was drenched with tears and sweat.

We calmly sought for solutions. Ivy, the one with a very high pain tolerance, was crying with such sorrow. We hugged, and help and stroked and bandaged, and put lotion on. She couldn’t stand the ice. I was still looking for solutions when she started to call for me with urgent pleas. “Where are you mommy!” “It hurts!” “Do something mommy!” The clarity of her voice, the piercing cry of pain… oh my goodness. “Mommy, do something!” I felt so powerless. I wished I could take her pain away, to suffer it myself if possible. But she prevailed. She made it through. Soon the pain subsided. And she put the inconvenience behind. She did ask us if it will hurt like this forever. “It feels like the pain will never stop.” We had to reassure her it will eventually not hurt anymore. But not today. Today it will hurt.

The next day we were supposed to fly to France. I was glad the accident didn’t happen at the airport or on the way there. She overcame it. Now we still have a purple nail which will probably fall off, but we made through this painful experience together.