Mother's Day

I love Mother's Day.  I think most moms do.  I love it because it's one of the days in the year (there are occasional others) where the kids say "thank you."  I feel so appreciated.  While there are many ways they show their appreciation throughout the year my favorite is how they show it on Mother's Day.  Two years ago DMR and the kids bought me a blank book and each year they all write in it "I love you because..."  They have various entries and they range from serious to silly.  Sometimes I see common themes and sometimes I am pleasantly surprised that some small action on my part was big to them.  Regardless, it feels good.  As moms we are told (and tell ourselves) all of the little things we are doing wrong or need to improve on but rarely do we stop to focus on what we do right.  I hope I return that favor to them.  I hope they feel that I focus on what they do right and remember to thank them for the things they do that bring joy to my life and to others.  I will make an effort to do it more often.  The book is a reminder of that.  I am blessed to be a mom.  I had no idea how meaningful a career it was when it began and I am so thankful every day for the family we have created.

Tradition

LJR was commenting a while back about our family not having a lot of traditions.  That made me sad because I want us to have traditions and I know it's not too late to add some but I also think the best opportunity for developing them has already passed.  Then came Easter and I realized there are a lot of things we do together as a family year after year that have become tradition but I've never thought about it that way because it's a lot of little things.  There is comfort in knowing expectations and being able to count on things going a certain way.  That's what makes traditions so enjoyable.  People are generally not disappointed because they know what to expect.  When you repeat things year after year you reflect on past times without even making an effort to.  There is a lot of laughter and it cements good memories into your mind.  So even at the age of 18 and getting ready to leave home HMR was perfectly happy to sit and decorate eggs.  Baskets are still put out while the kids are asleep (although this has become in the morning since I can't stay up late enough to do it at night any more!)  We have learned over the years that it is best not to leave the swimsuit purchase entirely up to the Easter Bunny but even if they pick out their swimsuit (tradition) they do not receive it until Easter morning.  The kids still hunt for eggs and David and I still hide them together -- his being much too easy to find :).  The boundaries of where they are hidden may change from year to year but that's about it.  We eat dinner as a family and now Hayden says grace before the meal.  I am so thankful for tradition and realize our family is rich with it.  It doesn't stand out but sneaks in.  I look forward to this weekend and Mother's Day when I "always" jump in the pool for the first time of the season; when the kids write in my "book" they gave me a few years ago.  Then the last day of school with swimming and ice cream sundaes (and this year graduation parties!)  In the summer when we will take our annual trip to Seattle and Lopez.... many traditions.  I am no longer sad...

Time flies...

I bought this pill box to remind me to take my afternoon thyroid pill since this is a new schedule for me.  What I have found is that it not only reminds me to take a pill but it also reminds me how fast time is flying by.  I fill it for a week and before I know it it's almost empty; Sunday has come around again; and I fill it for another week.  Everyone tells you when you have kids how quickly the time goes by.  It sure didn't seem to be holding true in the beginning.... sleepless nights, days of trying to figure out the next activity to entertain them and the many dirty diapers!  Somehow that has turned into a busy schedule of getting them where they need to be and when, figuring out who is home for dinner and organizing school schedules and you know what?  All those people were right!  As the kids get older the time goes faster.  No sooner have we started a new school year before we find ourselves planning summer vacation!  I want it to slow down.  I don't want to be refilling that pill box so soon.  Or maybe I just don't want the reminder of how quickly it all goes by.

Blessed

I'm not a particularly religious person.  Spiritual, yes, but religious?  Not really.  But over the last two months a word keeps coming into my life in different forms; "Blessed"  I think it is happening to remind me to stop and think about all of the reasons I have to feel blessed.  To not take it for granted.  And now to write my thoughts down about how blessed I feel for each day.  I have wanted to do this for a long time and yesterday had lunch with RP who gave me the idea and the inspiration to get started.  I sit at this computer each day for some period of time so there is not a more convenient place to record my thoughts.  This is for me and for the people that have blessed my life with their existence.