Being Unforgiven

As I sweep the floor this morning, my kids all run, screaming "Hurry!  Hurry!  Mom will sweep us up!  Hurry!".   Then my oldest daughter calls out to our dog "Eli!  Come here baby so mommy doesn't sweep you up like she did Norman!" as she sweeps (no pun intended)  him up in her arms. 

Norman is our other dog.  A cute, fluffy, sweet boy who has sadly lost his sight and hearing in his old age (he is turning 17 this year).

cute, huh?!

And, although we are very careful to watch out for him, well.......you can imagine there are times that you just can't help.   There are times he walks into doorways or into your legs as you are standing still.  I have fallen down the stairs trying to avoid stepping on him.  Yet, most days guests at our home never know there is anything wrong with him.  He loves his basket of toys and on good days will grab a toy & play fetch with himself, running circles & acting like a puppy.  Still, we have our moments and the "sweeper incident" was one of those times.  

The story goes.....I was sweeping the hallway upstairs and just as I was about to descend down the stairs, Norman decided to come up the stairs.  A perfect trifecta of horrible timing, my sweeper being in the air about to be placed on the step, and his tail being very long & fluffy caused a moment in time that I will never live down thanks to my kids unforgiving memories.   It really wasn't the end of the world....I immediately stopped the sweeper and had the five year old hold Norman while I fetched some scissors to cut his hair out of the sweeper.  He ran off and I finished sweeping, but the emotional scar lingers on. Hence, the calls from my kids every time I sweep!  I guess the fact that their mother did something unfathomably  non-motherly is enough glue to hold the memory in the forefront of their mind forever.  And ever.  And ever.   Sigh........maybe I could use it as an excuse to have them sweep??