Gratitude

What a weekend! 

On a total whim, my 12 year old son and I dressed like we were going to the grocery store in Fargo, ND, in the middle of January and went to the Iowa/Ohio State football game. 

Four layers of clothing, socks, and a men's parka. John and I both sported fur caps with ear flaps. We looked like we were from Nort DahKOtah, eh? 

This morning, my daughter asked how we got our tickets. I said that I bought them off a guy in the street. "You mean a hobo?"

"Uhm...no. Not a hobo. He made $20 off me."  Yes, I paid more than I should have because they can see me coming from a 100 yards away. But, it was worth every cent to make memories with my son.  

Oh yeah, and Iowa lost. So much for that.

Today, in the midst of all that grips my heart and mind and makes me so introspective, a dear friend came rolling back into my life. 

Just this spring, he had a massive stroke and we didn't even know if he was going to make it. He's now moved to Grinnell, and I haven't seen him since his stroke. The smiles, tears, and hugs from our little reunion were wonderful. 

I can tell you that the things that I am wrestling with in my life look very different this evening. 

A Not-Quite Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Dinner

Something inspired me on Friday afternoon at the grocery store and made me buy a bone-in turkey breast. One thing led to another and this afternoon, the kids and I had a mini-Thanksgiving dinner. I've never made Thanksgiving dinner by myself. I've brought side dishes and watched from the living room most of the time, but never solo. It went really well. The turkey was accompanied by roasted butternut squash and turnips with rosemary and thyme and sage dressing. Not bad. The boy got into the act when I told him he could make a pumpkin pie. Which he did and it was really, really good. Especially with real whipped cream we beat up with the mixer. 

Thanksgiving is getting so crowded out between Halloween and Christmas. It is becoming just a day of rest during the Christmas shopping season. I've already seen decorated Christmas trees in my neighborhood. It's November 14. I still have pumpkins on my front step. 

Think gratitude. Not just one day out of the year, but everyday. 

And When October Goes...

I am unabashedly in love. With the month of October. I love the colors, the crisp air, the coziness of being at home in the evenings as dusk comes early. 

Johnny Mercer wrote the song, "When October Goes," a lovely melancholy song of the change of seasons and a lost love. I adore the song for many reasons. It has started to take on a new meaning, however, when my children and I are enjoying the Halloween department at Target, to turn down the next aisle and greeted by Christmas cards... "100 Days of Holidays" is what Better Homes and Gardens calls the stretch from October to January 1. 

At first, I recoil against all the commercialism of it all. On second thought, the idea of something to celebrate when life seems to be more challenging than not, could be a good thing. I'm not advocating buying more stuff to be sure, but what if we could embrace an attitude of celebration in the face of challenge. Finding something everyday to celebrate, even if it does nothing else but put us in a better mood. We might find that 100 days of holidays could become 365 days of holidays, with some of those days just a little more special than the others. 

Getting to No

A number of years ago, a book on sales and marketing entitled, "Getting to Yes," was a popular seller. The premise was all based on how the seller could get the customer to say "yes" to the product or proposal and hand over the check. 

Just lately, I've been finding all the wonderful ways of saying, "No, thank you...."

As a mother, I've probably said, "NO" a million times. But I've made sure I said "yes" more often...

I am a "yes man." I've always thought if one was asked to do something, "yes" was almost always the answer and don't forget to throw in a cheerful heart. 

I enjoy reading the blog, Zen Habits, and today's post  on cultivating passion is wonderful. Difficult to do because it requires us to get to NO and to say yes to that which furthers our passion. As a full time working parent, there's a lot in my daily schedule that has zero to do with anything that gets me to my passion. Laundry, lunchboxes, carpool, work, and commitments to various organizations I am involved in are all tasks and details to keep track of and can clutter up my time. 

But, some of those tasks, frankly the more mundane ones, are worth keeping.

Two of my passions are my kids. Instead of considering the multitude of tasks that keep my family and household going as a daily drudge, I can see it as something that furthers my passion. Before you get to thinking that my house is BHG photo ready at all times (Better Homes and Gardens), you also need to know that I say NO plenty often to tasks that can wait. What can't wait is when I'm asked to throw the football after dinner or for homework help or to play a game. Or simply to just "be" with my kids.

See? When we identify our passion, it is easier to get to the no that helps us get to the right yes. 

It's August

I think we're ready... school supplies are purchased, registration forms completed, fees paid, a little money in the hot lunch fund...

The cicadas are now buzzing most of the day, a definite sign that the high point of summer has passed. For me, the day that the long stretch of summer turns into numbered days is July 30, my birthday. As a child, I often received a big box of school supplies from my grandmother for my birthday. But I couldn't do anything with them.  Arrgghh... That was hard for a kid who enjoyed school. 

In fact, on my birthday this year, I went shopping for my own children's school supplies. And I cannot resist buying myself some new pens and a notebook. 

Published!

I am a published author! Check it out here!  I am the corresponding author with our HeartMath team at GRMC for The Heart of Grinnell for Alternatives in Health and Medicine. What a cool experience! I am grateful for all the help provided by Rollin McCraty, Institute of HeartMath. 

Gray flannel and crisp white bonnets

Tonight I was at our local Wal-Mart... I know, it's all we have though... and in the next aisle I hear the sounds of children speaking in a language other than English. Hmm?? Sounds German to me? (You'd think after two years of college German I ought to recognize it.) Around the corner a little tot in a gray flannel dress and bonnet comes, with another girl, and a boy, and another girl, and mother with a littler tot yet in the cart, and father with one in his arms. We do not live far from Amish communities but it is not usual to see a young family like this one in our town.

In our WalMart, kid-boring things like toothpaste and shampoo aisles go directly into the pet section and a wall of aquariums. The sounds of joy these children let out made me smile no end. I had forgotten how a simple joy of a big tank of colorful fish can be. Their giggles were delightful.

They went their way and I went mine. I met up with them again in another part of the store. As I looked down the aisle, here were three girls in their dark gray dresses all looking at swimming suits. Have you ever seen girls swimming suits at WalMart? Can you imagine? The color is screaming neon and flower prints in pinks and purples. It was an amazing image to see these girls sneaking a peek and a touch of the fabric. Priceless.