40
This morning, on the dawn of my 40th birthday, I woke to see my beautiful son standing next to me. With my dear husband laying beside me, I thought, “what more could a woman want in life?”
Reality: 4:40 am. “Mommy, I think I’m going to throw up.”
I’m not kidding. You can’t make this stuff up.
Happy 40th birthday to me!
While I’m happy to report that there’s been no vomiting (yet), Garrett’s got a fever and is asleep again beside me on the couch. My big plans for the day include grant writing for work, from home, and nursing a sick child. Such is life. And life is funny as hell sometimes.
I’ve been thinking a lot about life lately. Yes, 40 is a milestone year, but I’ve always been “going on 40.” I was four and “going on 40.” Just ask my family. I did have a moment the other day when I thought, “holy $#!, 40 years is a long time.” But that was the extent of my freakout over 40.
I’ve learned that you can’t sweat the small stuff, and turning 40 falls into the small stuff category. I recently saw this quote and it made me laugh: “Don’t think too much. You’ll create a problem that wasn’t even there in the first place.” That’s where I’m at, at 40 – not thinking too much!
I feel that in the big span of things, I’ve lived a very blessed life thus far. And since I’m a glass-half-full kind of gal, I can only look forward to the next 40 years of blessings.
So cheers to 40 years! (And lets hope there’s really no vomit on my birthday).
March Madness
No, I’m not talking about basketball. I’m talking about the weather.
March is the month that will test the strength and patience of even the most optimistic fans of winter. It feels like spring is right around the corner. But. And that’s the problem. But, it’s not. Days dawn with no clouds and skies so blue you ache to be outside, but the winds are fierce, still blowing winter air, dropping temperatures deeper than they were all winter! The days are so much longer, allowing for walks after dinner, but favorite trails are still choked with ice. The sun shines and warms your skin as snowflakes fall and thicken into whiteout conditions that bring a blizzard and six inches of snow you have to shovel after dinner.
Not that we don’t get out and enjoy (delude, torture) ourselves in the spring-like air. And that’s the point of this entry – to share some recent pictures of our enthusiasm for the beautiful weather. Without a doubt, we stand poised at another change of season. And I have a bad case of spring fever, bordering on madness.
A day so warm, we didn't even need the fire.
The air was warm, but the view was wintery.
Look! No hats, mittens or coats.
Big (blue) sky, Alaska.
A Little Faith
As a family, we recently attended “Scout Sunday” at a church nearby our home. This church sponsors our Cub Scout Pack and dedicates a service a year to connecting the Scouts with the members. We use their space and resources on a regular basis, and for that we are very grateful. We don’t regularly attend church, and Garrett’s been curious about what a church service is like. We thought that attending this service was a good opportunity for Garrett, and for us to share our appreciation to the church for their support.
It was a lovely service. We knew lots of people in the congregation. As the service let out we got to chatting with friends. Another Scout leader approached and asked us to move into the main gathering hall, as the Governor of our great state had attended the service and had agreed to pose for pictures with the Scouts. Our Governor shook Garrett’s hand, clowned around with the boys and personally thanked the Scout leaders present (including Dave) for the time, dedication and leadership. It was all very exciting.
But this story isn’t about religion or our brush with fame. It’s about my purse, which I had left on the floor of the church, at my feet, under the pew in front of me. I realized I didn’t have it with me approximately 10 minutes after the service ended, after pictures with the Gov. When I went back to get it, it was gone.
If you’ve ever lost a purse or a wallet, you know the drill. You’re embarrassed and maybe a little panicked, but mostly trying to problem solve. There were lots of people still milling around, so a friend of mine and I started asking around, and people mobilized for us. The main church was searched, storage spaces, nooks and crannies, you name it. No purse.
I waited over 24 hours to cancel my cards, watching my accounts online to see if there was any activity, which their wasn’t. I just couldn’t believe that someone would steal my purse…at church. I waited over 48 hours to start replacing things. I waited for that call – the “oh-my-gosh-I’m-so-sorry-I-didn’t-realize-I-had-your-purse” call. It didn’t come.
But another call did. Wednesday night, my purse was found in the entry-way of the church. It was completely in tact. It don’t believe it had just been sitting there for the last three days. I searched the church pretty thoroughly twice on Sunday, and the staff did a search on Monday morning. I can only guess that someone did find it in their home or their car, tangled in jackets or other bags, and embarrassed, returned it quietly to be “found.”
No matter the circumstances, I’m grateful to have it back. Sure, canceling and replacing things was a hassle, but peace of mind overshadows those inconveniences. Naturally, in our small community, word got out pretty quickly about what happened. I know a lot of people were pretty disheartened to hear the story. I’m grateful to the person who returned my purse, and pleased to share the happy ending…to restore a little faith.
12 Things I Love About the Holidays
Why twelve? Why not? In no particular order…
1. Lights. In the darkest days of winter, I love that we add a little light.
2. Ornaments. Some time ago, we started a tradition of buying one new ornament a year that represents something about our year. Each year as I unpack the Christmas boxes, we revisit the highlights of past years.
3. Eggnog. It’s a holiday indulgence.
4. Snow. I should say here that I am grateful when we have snow. It’s not every year we have a white Christmas.
5. The anticipation. This is Dave’s favorite part. He loves the build up towards Christmas Day.
6. The letter Garrett writes to Santa.
7. Giving. I love the giving spirit of the holidays. Not just in giving gifts, but in the many other ways a person can give to bring joy to others.
8. Making snow flakes. Brings me back to my childhood.
9. Fellowship. It seems that we start gathering at Thanksgiving and don’t really part until New Years.
10. Christmas stuff: music and movies.
11. Traditions. We have a couple very special traditions in our house, and I hope they last the rest of our lives.
12. The Magic. I believe. Do you?
Giving Thanks
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love giving thanks. I love counting my blessings. No, I don’t need a holiday on the calendar to do that – I do it every day. But it gives me a good reason to stop other people and say, “what do you give thanks for?” It might seem a little weird to do that on a Tuesday in June.
I was raised Lutheran, and said my prayers religiously (yes, pun intended) as a child and young woman. For numerous reasons, that habit has fallen out of practice, until recently. Some time ago, I found a greeting card with this saying, “If the only prayer you ever say is ‘thank you’, that is sufficient.” And so “thank you” has become my daily prayer.
Most days, I try to give thanks for at least one, specific thing. Other days, I am more mindful to give thanks for multiple things. While skiing yesterday, I gave thanks for the condition of the track on Thanksgiving morning (someone had to have gotten up to track set the campground). I gave thanks that Garrett’s feet have now grown into his ski boots and it makes skiing more fun for him. I gave thanks for a large chore done by someone else. I gave thanks for the time Dave, Garrett and I spent outside, together, shoveling and playing. I gave thanks for the magnificent feast and fellowship we had at our friend’s home last night.
And some days are so big and wonderful, or overwhelming and exhausting that I manage just that simple “thank you”, knowing in my heart that is sufficient.
Keep in touch! You can reach me by email at lori@alaskafamily.net