Family, what are you thankful for today?
Highlights from this week:
Nice rain this morning
“Bread, apple, yummy”
Cool breezes
Our new fence-climbing trick
I found my potholder weaving kit
Our cozy house
Pizza night
Yogurt (“yo-yot”)
School field trip to art museum
Running clinic at school
Girls Night Out
Milk
Walks with Zoe
Movie night
Popcorn
Impromptu family picnic
* * *
Sunday Grace, our family gratitude journal, is updated weekly.
Read the entire series here.
I didn’t need a reminder that my Mom is gone. Not even a friendly reminder. Especially not a friendly reminder from an automated email system telling me that “Mother’s Day is coming soon! Order now and save!”
I didn’t need this same cheerful email to remind me that last year I bought the
“Hugs and Kisses” bouquet of purple irises and red tulips. After all, they were my signature Mother’s Day gift: a vibrant and energetic collection that screamed springtime. There was nothing subtle or forgettable about this annual bouquet.
I didn’t ask for the reminders, but there they are in my inbox, making sure I haven’t forgotten anything about my Mom or her place in my life. I read these messages and want to shake my computer shouting, “I have not forgotten ANYTHING, you fool! You stupid, stupid fool.”
If someone were to ask me how long it’s been I would need only a minute to calculate that the long, surreal January night was exactly 10 weeks and 3 days ago today. Weeks and days…the last time I counted time in weeks and days I was cradling a newborn.
Like the bizarre way the clock can simultaneously stand still and race forward when you are raising babies, so does it move when you have lost someone dear. It was only moments ago…It was a lifetime ago…I will never ever be OK…Life is somehow still marching on.
I find these contradictions surprisingly grounding. They tell me that I don’t need a clock or a calendar to remind me that time is not what it seems, or that life is too short to be fearful and too long to be unhappy. They remind me that even though time erases moments, the important ones are indeed unforgettable.
“Mom, where do the thoughts go after you think them?”
~Doodlebug, age 8
Family, what are you thankful for today?
Highlights from this week:
Pizza
Petting zoos (“I love them times infinity!”)
Double playdate
Our best friends
“Hoppies”
Bread
Having goals
My Flat Stanley project is going to California
I tried mashed potatoes and I like them
Wild Kratts
“Faffles”
Pancakes for dinner
Nice long walk with Zoe
Friend H at work
48 giant bags of leaves that we didn’t rake
Yoga
Raspberries
Books
* * *
Sunday Grace, our family gratitude journal, is updated weekly.
Read the entire series here.
I was cleaning out a pile of papers yesterday and found a note I had jotted down after a conversation with Doodlebug. It was dated 2009, when she was 6 years old. I remember we had been cuddled up reading It’s Not the Stork, which I bought after her repeated and increasingly detailed questions about the birds and the bees.
“Mom, the sex part is kinda weird.”
Yeah, it’s a little weird. You’re supposed to think it’s weird because you are a kid, but when you grow up you’ll think differently.
“What about younger grown-ups…you know, who aren’t married? Do they think it’s weird?”
They are thinking about it (um, a lot) and some (ok, most) of them are having sex. We will keep talking about this as you get older, but right now you should know that sex is a very special thing that people do when they are old enough and in love.
“Well I’m definitely going to do it someday because I want to be a Mommy.”
And you will make a great one, sweetie, because you are so loving and big-hearted. You take such good care of your brothers and cousins.
“And because I pay attention to everything you do…so I’m learning to be a Mommy.”
(Gulp) That makes me want to be the best Mommy I can be.
“Good, then I can be the best too.”
* * *
Speaking of parenting skills…I had the privilege of hearing Brené Brown speak last night about the gifts of imperfect parenting and I was completely blown away. Truly. She was engaging, funny and wise. I am still trying to absorb everything I heard and can’t wait to dive into her new book. I swear, even if you’re not a parent, she has something to teach you.
The brother-sister dynamic is so…what’s the word I’m looking for?
Perplexing? Hmm. Fascinating? Maybe. Predictable? Yes! That’s it!
Because every single time this happens…
Something akin to this follows…
Family, what are you thankful for today?
Highlights from this week:
My new bike!
Dad got the zip-line pole cemented and I helped
Blueberries
My friend Nelly Belly
Aunt K
Painting toenails with mom on a sick day
Your Mom and all her patience
Bread
Fresh haircut
Apples
A quiet office
Delicious dinner
My three best friends
Oranges
Somehow I got myself out of bed to run this morning
Dad! (“me, too!”)
Your Dad, every day, not just on his birthday
Our family, and the last year we’ve had together
Grapes
Ciabatta bread
Yogi Bear movie
The zip line is working!!
The rhythm of a good weekend
* * *
Sunday Grace, our family gratitude journal, is updated weekly.
Read the entire series here.
Add your own nugget below!
After 10 minutes of running, pointing and chattering, suddenly the extraordinary became ordinary and the ordinary became extraordinary.
Perhaps that is the point.
And to think we spent all that money at the zoo the day before . . .
when we could have just played in the hotel lobby.
Family, what are you thankful for today?
Highlights from this week:
Spring Break!
Butter
Mom and Dad taking us on vacation
An escape from the routine
Room service
Pedal boats
Zoo!
Mahi Mahi burgers
Super cool museum
Apples
Every part of today, but especially the butterfly part
The awesome museum and the awesomer one in my imagination
Our curious kids
Izze
My sister, Doodlebug
I finally got the sprinkler fixed
I felt strong and fast on my feet this morning
Curly pasta
* * *
Sunday Grace, our family gratitude journal, is updated weekly.
Read the entire series here.
Add your own nugget below!
