Weekend of Emotional Contrasts

This past weekend had lots of emotional highs and lows. It started with the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk. I did not plan to walk the 5 miles, but the team assembled by my neighbor had such nice women, that we were talking and right when I decided I couldn't go further, we were almost at the end. My neighbor, also a survivor, and I, cried when we saw 8,000 people walking for the cause. My daughter was a route marshall volunteer and it was so sweet to see her as we passed by.
I then went to the Fall League World Series game with my husband. Usually there are a total of 20 people in the stands; it was crowded and it was a blast. Aside from the friendly people seated in our section, including some A level Oakland A's from Modesto, the up and coming stars were fun to watch. We liked Ryan Howard and Huston Street, cheering for both. Turns out the people across the aisle were Street's parents and we met them after the game, as they were probably bursting with pride as the sportswriters surrounded him after saving the game. His proud parents thanked us for "hollering for our son." My husband says he is the next Eck. And, best of all, though he often walks slowly, my husband gets to these Fall League games and runs, with his camera, to take pictures of the players. This time, we stayed for the trophy presentation, team celebration and to get autographs as the players left. It was so much fun that my face hurt from smiling so much, and so delightful to see him have such a great time.
We took our daughter to babysit a Downs classmate that night. She is so sweet with him and it gives his parents to have respite and go out to dinner. The two classmates danced the night away to Dance Dance Revolution and played games. Last year, her 6th grade teacher had told us that she was so gentle with him in class. She has so much empathy and a big heart, even though sometimes she seems to only see one foot in front of her face.
Sunday brought a really annoying carpool experience (aren't they supposed to make it less stressful?) followed by a lovely afternoon visiting a friend who had surgery. My husband had prepared a delicious meal to take over. The time flew by and I saw her Christmas tree filled with ornaments from a lifetime of family memories.
To conclude the weekend, we attended a wine tasting at a neighbor's house. She was amazing and had recently run for Congress. Now she is representing the US in various countries to improve the role and rights of women. What a fascinating political discussion and so heartening in that you are actually talking to someone that is doing something to make the world a better place. The weekend ended on a high note, and I didn't even think too much about how much I hate George Bush.