"Squad Goals"
Today I am tired... tired in my bones. Do you ever have days like that? Not enough coffee in the pot to peel open these heavy eyelids. The dishes are piled sky high in the sink and there is laundry to be done."Oh Laundry, you faithful ole friend you, you never leave me nor forsake me."Monday night is THE ONE night of the week where no one has a scheduled event. My daughter asked to go to a church event but being together felt more needed and sacred. We made salads out of everything we could find in the fridge and quesadillas out of tortillas that were looking more like Frisbees and Adam concocted an odd tasting smoothie. We decided it just needed more honey.Most things need more honey.We put them in blue goblets and took it all outside to my turquoise table. We left Monday night football and I-phones inside, we talked about everything and nothing and we laughed loud and hard.
Laughter really is the best medicine.David reminded us that it is bad luck if you don’t clink glasses with everyone at your table during a cheers so we awkwardly "cheers" one to another leaving no one out! The goblets clink well and I was glad I chose them. Adam even showed us a Mexican dance he learned in music, while the girls and I hummed "La cucaracha".Small efforts make for big memories.A change of scenery, blue goblets, undivided attention; it is life giving. I watched tired students shake off the blues of the day and the weight of the world that they carry on their shoulders lifts if even for just an hour. The game needs to be watched and homework must be done (sigh) so back inside we go. My family is big and loud and exhausting and we leave a big wake. Evidenced by the mess in my kitchen this morning. (Sometimes I think I will never get used to it.) Dinner remnants and homework shrapnel, rushed breakfast aftermath, and a frenzied lunch making mess. But children went to bed happy and they left the house this morning with love in their hearts. Strengthened by the reprieve.Our pastor encouraged us this past weekend, to "live with the end in sight." He asked, "What are you doing with the dash?"What are you doing with the dash between your birth and your death?I often try to live with this kind of hindsight. What do I want this crazy loud mess to look like down the road? I wrote about this same feeling years ago. Funny how some things never change. So, I guess it's true, I probably will never get used to it, but, we must embrace this mess, this busyness, and these weary souls and love them hard. Carve out the time to notice each other and breath life into each other. The reward will be golden. The return on your investment will be 100 fold.Speaking of folding.... my old friend laundry awaits me. ;)