It's Getting Closer

The countdown is well underway!  We are in the last week of school.  There is only a day and a half left and then time slows down.  It's as if the opportunity presents itself for that other half of me to live a little.  I love what I do but I also love doing nothing...and summer totally allows for that!  Even though I work another week after the kids are finished with school, I don't mind it at all.  There is something magical about driving my own car...by myself!  There is something liberating about being the only one awake and getting ready.  There is something incredible about walking out of the door ON TIME!  Nope...I don't mind going to work while the kids stay home....but...I don't want to do it forever!

But it's those precious, well-anticipated, last couple of days of school that make me love the job that I do.  Everyone is so excited and giddy...even the kids!  It is such a gift to be blessed with a job that allows for renewal.   

This is also the summer before my youngest enters into high school.  Next school year finds me the mother of a junior and a freshman.  We are talking an independent driver and an up coming high schooler.  Everything is getting closer....jobs, dating, proms, graduation, college.  I can remember being a kid and playing with my father's binoculars.  I can still recall having to squeeze one of my eyes shut in order to get a clear view.  My eyes are close set and the binoculars were always too wide.  I remember looking through the lens and seeing trees and fence posts in clear view.  No sooner had the objects come into view they would disappear as I jerked the binoculars away to see if I could see the same image with my own eyes.  Sometimes I could, though not distinctly...other times not at all.  I know I was fascinated with the dial in between the two lenses that allowed me to focus.  

Well...now it time for me focus.  I need to focus on being there for my children more than ever before.  I need to focus on making sure they meet deadlines...volunteer...apply for scholarships.  It's time to focus on slowing down even though life is speeding up.  Wait!  I want to turn those binoculars around so that when I look out into life things seem much farther away than they really are.  It is becoming clear to me that I am going to have to let go of the binoculars and enjoy the view that is right before me.

Confirmation Please

While it was my daughter who got confirmed this past Sunday, it was I who received confirmation.  I received confirmation in that I had, in fact, followed through with the vows that I made when she and her brother were baptized.   For four years "we" have been going to confirmation classes on Wednesday evenings as well as on Sundays.  "We" have been getting home late and "we" have had to memorize scripture.  While I believe this to be essential in their lives as Christians I must admit that I am relieved this accomplishment has been achieved.  I find it interesting that the burdens we feel, as parents, are usually ones we heap upon ourselves.  But deep down we know that the sacrifices we are making today will benefit our kids later in life.  And that is just the thing...when we stop grumbling and complaining about all of the things we "have" to do...and realize that we are doing what needs to be done....then, and only then, can we come to appreciate not only what we are doing, but what our parents did (or didn't) do for us.  This 'parenting thing' is so much more than making sure our kids look both ways before crossing the street, or that they remember to say 'please' and 'thank you.'  It is about ensuring that our kids have some kind of firm foundation upon which to stand.  Hopefully that foundation is large enough and sturdy enough to withstand the turbulence that will inevitably be thrown their way.  I guess what I am trying to get at is this:  yes, it was my daughter who was confirmed, but I can't help but to feel a little swelling of pride in knowing that I had a part in building a portion of her foundation.  The fact that Jesus blessed those efforts last Sunday didn't hurt a bit!

You Light Up My Life

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to be able to get together with some dear friends of mine.  The way that we love each other despite the fact that some of us snort when we laugh (me), show up late (me), or bring their kids along to a girls' night out (me), is proof that our friendship is unconditional.  This circle of women that I am blessed to be a part of knows when to listen and when to speak up.  Each of us is an elixir for the other...a healing balm when needed.  Each of us has multiple irons in the fire.  Each of us longs for a chance to slow down and enjoy.  And that is exactly what we did the other evening.  As the sun set over the cedar filled hills we sauntered out of the kitchen and into the pool (our feet did at least).  The echoing calls of the resident peacock and the gobble of the pet turkeys served as our evening's soundtrack.  The farm cats lazily set the mood and we quickly followed suit.  It's so nice to be able to completely relax...to not give a flip about excess skin or sloppy posture.  Like the lounging cats, we flopped ourselves poolside and enjoyed the stories that are only funny to us.  Even though laughter was involved, some tears welled up as well.  As women, each of us has emotional strings that are alternately pulled and tugged.  For some of us the triggers are children getting ready to graduate from high school in a matter of weeks.  For others it is the fact that major decisions have to be made.  No matter the situation, the fact is we have each other with us as we plow through these moments.  As I become more and more who I was meant to be, I have noticed that God has lead me to be in the presence of people who make me better...people who build me up...people who I want to be like....people who love me.  I am grateful for the people whose light has made my path a little brighter.  I am thankful for the rainbow of love that has been reflected back to me via the prism of women I am happy to call my friends.

Cat Nip, Cat Nap, Catatonic...

Little Miss Kitty is 7 months old now.  This means that she fully rules the roost around here.  I still absolutely adore her...so much so that I even love her when she hooks my nostril with her teeth at 3 a.m....I told you...love.  For the most part though she sleeps outside.  She loves hunting the cute little field mice.  Originally we got cats because we thought they would help to keep the snakes, scorpions, and other creepies that bite, sting, or have poisonous venom, at bay.  Turns out our cats prefer to stalk the beautiful, harmless swallows and the cute and furry eensie weensie field mice.  But, nevertheless, at the end of a hard day of protecting the family, Kitty has discovered, like so many of us, being within close proximity to a bottle or two or four of merlot can be quite rewarding.