Beverlly's "blended famiily" has gotten to the point where she and her husband feel ready to try to have a child together--someone who will belong to all of them from the beginning. Her young son has a loving relationship with his new stepfather,and her relationship with her stepchildren has grown stronger. The time seems right. Struggling with infertility, they eventually get more than they bargained for. In the meantime, Beverly is having difficulty getting along with a couple of members of the extended family, and she wonders if the challenges ever end. The experts say it takes five to seven years for a step family to get past their adjustment phase to a relatively smooth-working system, and Beverly wonders--Are We There Yet?
Beverly grabbed justin by the arm. "Come with me." She headed toward the front of the bus. Justin watched in bewilderment and dismay as she grasped the metal rail and ascended the steps. With a sign of relief, Beverly saw that the bus driver was a woman. Apologetically and politely, she began. "Ma'am, I'm really sorry about this. I'm in labor and I need . . ." The cramping started again. There was no time to beat around the bush. Beverly drew in her breath and then exhaled. Before she drew another breath, she said forcefully, "I'm hijacking this bus. I need to get to the hospital." A mother of five, Mrs. Geraldine Bunker hesitated no further.
"My bag! Justin, get my bag. It's there by the fence."
Finally graping the scope of what was happening, Justim jumped from the bus steps and was back in a couple of long strides with Beverly's gym bag. He stood helplessly by, grasping the nearby pole and wondering what he should do. Although he was ashamed to admit it, even to himself, his overwhelming thought at this point was that it would be social suicide if his stepmother gave birth on the school bus, there in front of his peers.
"Hey Buchmiller, were you born on a bus, too?" It was Dennis Andrews.
"Hey Andrews, you wanna die on a bus?"
From the Caribbean Sea to Machu Picchu in Peru, and from birds to flowers and butterflies, Reflections and Treasured Wonders offers a collection of images gathered from around the world.
Timeless wisdom and advice on the art of living for today’s young and old: The art of thinking, the art of loving, the art of working, the art of leadership, the art of growing old.
A new translation by Sergio E. Serrano of this inspirationa
