Finding Thanks

I recently came to the realization that the last two years of my life have been marked by many ‘firsts,’ albeit very different in their nature.  2010 was such a joyful year, celebrating so many firsts with Lucy:  our first Mother’s Day together, our first Halloween with Lucy as an angel, our first Thanksgiving in Carmel with my family.   2011 has been marked by a different set of firsts:  firsts without my Mom.  I went through my first Mother’s day without her, my first birthday, and soon…my first Thanksgiving.   It is interesting how the pendulum swings;   one minute (or year) you can be riding high, content as can be…and the next feeling low and lost without your Mom.  

So all I can think, in this week of giving thanks, is to focus on those things that I am grateful for.  It seems appropriate with the circumstances, that I concentrate on what my Mom gave me, as it was so much.  After all, it was her teachings (as well as my Dad's) that have led me to living the life that I live today…which, by the way, is a very good life. 

Here are those teachings that I am most grateful for:

The value of being with family.  

The importance of having God in your life.

The necessity of communication.

The love of being a lifelong learner.

The value of being true to yourself.

The joy of cooking and the virtue of hospitality.

The rewards of staying at home, to be with your child.

Thank you Mom.  You were a good teacher.  

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

In Honor Of

This past weekend, Brian ran in a 5K race to support the Wounded Warrior Project.  Lucy and I had a great time watching on the sidelines, as Brian ran in this very hilly and "torturous" (his words) trail run. (Congrats to Brian, by the way, who finished in the top 10!)

They had a very patriotic and heart-felt ceremony afterwards, to give honor and attention to all those wounded in service to our country.

We were glad Lucy was able to experience all of this.  Hopefully, it will leave a lasting impression on her of those things that really matter.

And speaking of things that matter, we also had a chance to spend time with our friends recently. A group of us went on an outing to the zoo.  As fall has gone this year, the weather was absolutely perfect.   Days like these are always a good reminder to me of how much I value staying at home with Lucy;  the flexibility to do these things is a blessing from God.

 

Trick or Treat

Halloween was great this year, complete with beautiful weather, yummy roasted pumpkin seeds, friendly neighbors, a sugar-satisfied Lucy, and a content Mama and Dada.  Over a month ago, when I asked Lucy what she wanted to be for Halloween, without hesitation, this is what she answered:

Can you believe that on the east coast, another sweet little something was dressing up to be the exact same thing?  Yes, Lucy's cousin Maddie was also a ladybug!  And no...this was not planned!

We just think that Grammy wanted to see her two youngest granddaughters dressed up as our favorite little insect!  No trick here, just lots of treats...and graces.