I was offline all weekend. Sowwy about that. I did write, I am happy to report. Just not here. It wasn't much--just a requisite 10 to 15 minutes a day, but it got done.

I had a very fulfilling weekend. It was more satisfying than the weekend at the writer's convention. I shudder to think I almost talked myself out of the drive to Denton Texas and how close I came to not finding a hotel room to stay. All in all it worked out for the best. In so many ways.

It was my privilege to meet a woman that I will think about for a long time to come, and I met her through my oldest son, who continues to surprise me with the depth of his heart and his love for people. He is very gregarious, a true extrovert. But his interest in people doesn't start and stop with his peers and for this fact I am grateful. Don't get me wrong, he has great friends his age; kids I'm not constantly worried about what kind of influence they're providing. Very good kids.

But there is so much richness to be gained beyond our age mates. There is the curiosity and excitement that you find in the company of a three-year-old, and the wisdom and grace that comes with the age of an 80 year old. To miss out on either because a young one only associates with peers--how sad!

As some may know, my boys and I have been learning American Sign language for a little more than a year now. This weekend we went to a convention that was largely conducted in ASL. There were some talks that were interpreted. Up in the front of the auditorium was a second for tactile signing and there were two women there who are both blind and deaf. As we were getting ready to "sing" our last song of the day, my oldest son hopped up and headed toward the front of the auditorium and my jaw was on the floor as I watched him sign the song for one of the two ladies. I didn't know he had any interest in tactile signing, much less the ability. But with him, there isn't anything that's "impossible" and he truly believes that the learning is in the doing. At any rate, I honestly had to work up the nerve to take myself up there and I hung around the periphery of the people gathered and watched him interpret conversations for people who wanted to meet this woman but needed his help to translate. Finally he looked over at me and asked me if I wanted to meet her. How could I say no?

What an experience. Let me tell you Janice is an amazing lady. She has three grown children, a daughter living in Lafayette, LA and a daughter and son in New York City. They are all deaf. Her son is graduating from college in two weeks and she's flying there to be on hand for the occasion. She lives in Lafayette as well. We told her about our family and how we got involved in sign language even though we're hearing. At the end of about 20 minutes of conversation I had one of the most inspiring friends I think I'll ever have.

When I stopped to really think about how small and still her world could be, I am all the more convinced that life really is what you make of it. I can still see her graceful easy smile. And her patience while she "listened" again and again until she was sure she had understood correctly. Attitude and determination has so much to do with the quality of our time here. From my son's "jump-in-and-try" attitude to Janice's not taking silent or dark for an answer to life, I find I need to start being more brave. I have nothing--comparatively speaking--that's holding me back.

I will always have the picture in my mind of Janice and my son walking arm in arm toward the back of the auditorium, "talking" 90 to nothing the entire time. What an amazing pair, and how much less rich his life would be had he never met her. Mine as well.