The Day I Got Ambushed

Wow.  I am both at a loss for words, and have so many thoughts racing through my mind that I'm not sure where to start.  So, I guess I'll start at the beginning.

Yesterday, I got ambushed, and it was truly one of the best days of my life.  Seriously.  Right up there with getting married and having my boys.  

I got up, had coffee, checked email, got the boys ready, typical morning stuff.  We headed out to drop my youngest off at his summer camp, and then headed home to do a few chores.  One of my chores being some work paperwork, which means getting on the computer, and being my gmail-facebook-twitter-addicted self,  I had to check my email again first.  I opened it up, and there were FOUR comments on my blog.  From three people I don't know.  It was like Christmas in August!  Completely unexpected, completely out of left field.  Beautiful comments.  Seriously, I cried.  I'm crying right now too, btw! ;)

'Wow, that's so wonderful!  Someone must have sent them my way, I've got figure out who to thank!'

I went on with the morning chores, ended up at my neighbor, SomeGirl's house, (our boys are buddies) and asked if she'd sent these kind comment makers my way?  No.  Not her.  Hmmm....  Strange, but still wonderful.  My whole entire day had been brightened, and now it was obvious that it wasn't someone I knew in 'real' life.  Even more amazing and AWE-inspring.   I was starting to feel a little of that 'God's got His hand in this' feeling...

Went on with my morning, taking my oldest out for our shopping date.  My addiction to gmail made me stop on the way into the mall and check to see if my other friend had replied back yet about our plans that night.  Yep!  But right below her email was another.... "Your post has a comment" email.  Actually, a couple of them.  What?  MORE comment love?  Is it 2012? Is the world ending, because this little ole blog of mine usually gets comments from my 3 IRL friends/family followers.  Six comments in a few hours?  I felt like I was being punk'd...but in the really best, nicest way possible.  And yes, I cried again.  WHERE are these coming from?  I've got to find out who to thank.

Well, it just kept happening.   I'd check email and there would be a new comment.  Or two new comments.  I was truly blown away by the love and kindness that was pouring out of the internet to me, from people I'd never met.  I don't think I can recall any other time when I just felt surrounded by so much love and positive energy all day long.  The first comments were enough to make my whole day.  The fact that I kept getting comments throughout the day, and even into this morning, just makes me speechless.  There is definitely a BLESSING happening to me here.  And it's beyond words.  It's as if God is telling me, through these wonderful people, 'Okay...you've headed in the right direction.  Keep it up!' 

There have been two other times in my life when I have completely felt the presence of God.  Not like, "Yeah, He is with me" but like I was surrounded by Him, and by His love. He might not have been visible, but He was THERE.   They were incredible experiences.  And now, this LOVE AMBUSH is another.  I felt so loved all day long.  And every time I would think that was wonderful enough, and not expect more, there was more love.  It was like being surrounded by love all day, no matter which way I turned.  Truly incredible.  And I will never, ever forget it.

To each of you who left me a love ambush comment, and to my 'regular' comment makers too:

THANK YOU.  

You have blessed me beyond words.  

From the very deepest part of my heart, Thank You!

To the ladies at Gather Inspirit who set up this little love ambush: 

Thank you.  

You have no idea how blessed I am by you.  

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

My hope for all of you sweet readers:

May you embrace life,

Find yourself surrounded by blessings,

And look for ways          

               to be a blessing to others.

Happy & Excited Fights Sad & Sentimental

Today is the last day of school.  Hooray!  I, as much as my oldest, having been counting down to this day for a month at least!  No schedules.  No homework.  No getting up early.  No stopping in the middle of the afternoon for school pickups.  Just summer freedom and time together!  Bliss.

So, you can imagine my surprise when the tears started as I dropped him off for his last day today.   At 3:00, my baby will be a THIRD GRADER!!!  Oh my.  How did that happen?  Wasn't it just yesterday that I was fighting with him to give up his binky?  Or helping him get dressed?  Rocking him to sleep every night in my arms?

I thank GOD that my baby is still a snuggler.  That he still loves his mama and wants me there when he goes to sleep at night.  I am thankful that he's growing up to be a good, smart, kid.  I love that he's excited to do things with me, to show me things.  To share his world with me.   But I know that ALL TOO SOON, that time will end, for awhile at least. He'll be a teenager, too cool for mom who has suddenly become a huge embarrassment and who (in his mind) doesn't know or understand anything.  I am dreading that time.  It will break my heart.  But my time bonding, teaching,  and loving him now will carry me through (with a lot of prayer and help from God, I'm sure!).  And I know that we will come through it, and on the other side be close once more.  And someday, hopefully, I'll hear the words, "Mom, you were right.  I'm sorry for thinking you were such...."  Which reminds me, I need to go apologize and thank my parents again for putting up with my teenage years!

So, today,  I'm sad and sentimental.  But I'm even more happy and excited that I get the chance to spend the summer with my guy, bonding, playing, loving, and growing together.  I'm not going to let a single moment pass by... This is a summer to treasure!

May you be blessed with appreciation 

of all you've been given.  

Hold on to it.

Treasure it.

Don't let it slip away.

This is Me

I had been planning to write a post about the "Real Me" when my friend Some Girl beat me to it.  She did such a good job, that it could have almost been word for word about myself.  Check it out here if you'd like to see what she wrote.  After reading her post, I got to thinking more about my true self.   I am far from perfect, but I also try to be a good person.   I slip up and snap at the boys when I'm tired or frustrated.  I spend time on the computer when I should be playing with them. I'll do almost anything to help a friend.    I swear, although I try not to.   I try to do good things. I'm impatient with, and yell 'IT'S NOT YOUR TURN!', at drivers who can't seem to figure out how to use a four-way stop.  I'm pretty good at going with the flow (except at those darn 4 way stops).  I'm selfish and want things my way. I let my kids eat sugar, drink pop, and watch TV, but I also make sure they spend a lot of time outside being active, and learn the difference between treats and healthy choices.  I have a strong faith.  I'm almost never brave enough to talk about it.  I leave dirty dishes in the sink almost every night.

I am introverted to the point of seeming rude at times.  I really wish I wasn't.  I really wish I could be more bold and outrageous.  For example, if you dyed your hair cupcake pink, I would think it was pretty cool, and secretly wish I could do something so bold.  (I think I'd go for white with pink stripes.... seriously.)  If you invite the whole neighborhood over for a cookout, I would think it wonderful and welcoming.  But I'd also be cringing at the thought of having to talk to people I don't know well.  I wish I were more outgoing.

But, take all the good and bad, and I'm happy with my life.  Not that I'm not working on improving things, and finding balance.  I am.  But I'm happy with me, right here, right now.   I wasn't always able to say that.

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday!  Just logged in to do a quick post, and I see that I'm up to 5 followers!  Woo-hoo!  Thanks to all of you, whether or not you hit the follow button or subscribe ( I have no idea how to know about who is doing that), or if you just stop by once in awhile.   Please take just a second, really, just a second, and CLICK HERE for something I really want you to know.  Then come on back and finish this post if you're up for it.


So, now that you know how glad I am to have you here, here's the next Monday Morning Staff Meeting.
First, the roundup from last week, then I'll tell you about my big lesson for the week:

Go somewhere new.  We went to two new parks and found some cool play areas.
Read something.  We read several new books from our awesome re-opened library.
Explore something.  We were going to explore the new library, but someone got sick, so we had to postpone.
Build something.  We built more onto the tree fort with daddy.  Okay, so I just watched, but  3 out of 4 family members helped, so I say that counts. :)
Clean something.  Hmm.... cleaned A LOT.  Some major stuff, some daily stuff.  My house looks so much better now, and I just want to do more!  (See mom, you were right.  Eventually I grew out of the messy stage.  It just took 38 years... )
Grow something. Managed to keep my flat of Impatiens seedlings alive for another week.
Cook something.  Didn't do any new recipes, but still cooked, so that's good enough.
Plant something. Planted some stuff along our new path to SomeGirl's house.
Investigate/Scout something.  Saved for next week, due to sickness.  

So, what was the big lesson from the week, I'm sure you're dying to know?  Well, you may or may not know that I guest posted over here last week for Fraddling Friday.  I spent the week thinking about how I was fraddling.  Fraddle is doing something someone else loves because they love it, and you love them.  Because I was thinking about it all week for that Friday post, I spent a lot of time thinking about something I wasn't looking forward to doing.  And I started telling myself to think about it with a different attitude.  I started telling myself, "Be thankful, not resentful."  I started saying it to myself in my head, Be THANKFUL, not resentful.   I am THANKFUL, not resentful.  And then I started to be thankful for it.  Thankful for the chance to do something that would really make the day of someone I love.  Thankful to be able to do that thing.  Thankful for the chance to share that thing with the person I love.  And I stopped resenting it.  The result was that I wasn't stressed out and resenting that thing the whole time, and instead had a nice day.  

There are two quotes that I really like about attitude.  The first, is by Winston Churchill who said, “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.”  He was so right.   The other, is from Francesca Reigler, who said, 

 "Happiness is an attitude. 

We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. 

The amount of work is the same.”

 

My to do list for this week is going to stay simple.  Just two things, really.  

1. Spend time enjoying my sister and her family visiting.

2. Be positive about things, even things I don't like, and choose happiness over misery.  (That pretty much covers everything, if you think about it...)

 

I am choosing to be happy and strong.  How about you?  Is there something you could change your attitude about and make life happier for yourself this week? Leave me a comment and let me know.  I'd love to hear from you!

May you be blessed with a positive attitude, and the ability to see the bright side of things this week.

A Sunbeam to Warm You

St. Patrick's Day is has always been a special day for me, being part Irish.  There is a part of me that has always been fascinated by stories of Ireland, and the lush green country there.  Someday, I hope to go visit and explore it myself.  

In college, I met my future husband on St. Patrick's day.  So, in honor of the sixteenth anniversary of the day we first met, I've decided to share a traditional Irish blessing with you.

 May God grant you always...

A sunbeam to warm you, 

A moonbeam to charm you, 

A sheltering Angel so nothing can harm you. 

Laughter to cheer you. 

Faithful friends near you. 

And whenever you pray, 

Heaven to hear you.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!! 

 

May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back.  May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields.  And until we meet again, May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.

It's an O.F.F. Day

I've declared Fridays to be 'O.F.F.' days.  That's short for Official Fraddling Fridays.

If you're new to fraddling, it simply means doing something for someone because they love it and you love them. It doesn't have to be complicated.  It could be as simple as letting the boys throw rocks in mud puddles.  (Is there anything more joyful for a little boy then mud?)  I think of fraddling as being present, being intentional, showing love, and spreading joy.  Check out SomeGirlsWebsite for more from the creator of Fraddling.

So, Fridays are now reserved, as much as possible, for Fraddle.  I'm aiming to get as much work done Monday-Thursday as I can, so that I can simply have fun fraddling on Fridays.  Maybe your schedule can't take a whole day for Fraddle.  But you can find time somewhere this week to show your love and give someone joy. 

It's easy.  It's fun.  And it's oh-so-rewarding.  You should try it!

May you find ways to bless someone

(and in the process be blessed yourself) 

with fraddle this week.

Simple Joys

Do you ever take the time to look at the world through a child's eyes? To really think about the world the way they think about it?  Besides seeing everything from a much lower elevation, children have a really unique and simple way of looking at the world.   For them, everything is black or white, it's right or it's wrong, and it's all about justice and fairness.  Children are free, they love to help people, and the littlest thing can be the biggest adventure.

Children are simple.  Not easy, but simple.  Do what's right.  Be fair.  Show love.  See the world as the big adventure it is.   Pretty good advice, right?  So, how do we put that advice into practice? Good question.  It's something I'll be mulling over this week to be sure.

The song below is one of the few things that I actively recall learning in college.  Probably from the trauma of having to SING it for a grade in my musical education class.  (I can't carry a tune to save my life...).  But, I think that it's also probably the message in the song that's kept it in my brain for the last 15+ years.

"Simple Gifts" was written by Elder Joseph while he was at the Shaker community in Alfred, Maine in 1848. These are the lyrics to his one-verse song:

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,

'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gained,

To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed,

To turn, turn will be our delight,

Till by turning, turning we come round right.

May you be blessed with the gifts of simplicity and freedom this week.

Happiness Is...

I was thinking tonight about the things that make me happy...

Happiness is.....

...my husband and my boys
...a dark, quiet room, and my comfy bed with high threadcount sheets
...fabulous friends to talk with and be encouraged by
...snuggling with my boys before they are too big and too old
...the first hopeful flowers of spring
...taking photographs of the things I love
...a wicked thunder and lightning storm
...a three year old who can tell you he's going to throw up AND make it to the bathroom
...grandparents who love to spend time with my boys
...a rare date day with my husband

...a MacBook, and time to blog
...scrapbooking with the girls, so my boys have loads of great memories of their lives to look through and remember
...Nana nights
...budding trees after long dreary cold winter days
...a dvr full of my favorite shows, and a quiet night to watch them back to back
...an awesome hot yoga class
...days at the park
...sunshine and blue skies with fluffy white clouds
...a dog who is loyal and loving no matter how much he's ignored
...using the internet to keep in touch with people who I would have certainly lost touch with

...beautiful unexpected snowstorms
...finding and exploring my faith in God
...reading my Google reader lineup of inpsirational and motivational blogs
...sleeping in past 8am
...a clean and organized house
...teaching my kids how to give to the less fortunate, and seeing how excited they are to help others
...laughing with my husband...over whatever...
...having a beautiful yard in which to work, and play, and just enjoy.... my own mini park
...the look on my son's face when he looks at me with complete bliss, just because I'm there...
...the sound of my littlest saying, for the umpteenth time, "hi, mom" (His version of I love you)

...blogging about the crazy things my boys say and do, so that they won't be forgotten
...empty laundry hampers
...dinner in the crockpot by 9am
...eating out when there are already dishes to catch up with in the sink
...having a mother in law you love, and get along with, and enjoy spending time with
...finding (controlled) ways to allow the boys to explore their passion for destruction
...grilling out on a warm summer night
...having fried rice for dinner (because hubby cooks!)
...breakfast for dinner, it reminds me of my wonderful grandmother
...Friday afternoon Happy Hour (friends, snacks, bikes, trikes, and mommy talk in the driveway)

...having wonderful neighbors just across the street
...living only a mile down the road from my parents, and just a few more from my MIL
...restorative yoga (it's better than a nap!)
...fraddling: (surprising my boys with something they'll love, just because)
...bedtime stories with my boys
...playgroup friends to keep both my boys and I sane and get us out of the house
...quiet days when both boys are at school and I can work uninterrupted
...a good book, and time to read it
...a good school, and great teachers, just down the street
...quiet talks with my oldest on morning walks to school

There are many, many more things I count as blessings.   May you be as blessed as I have been.

How do you answer the question:  

Happiness is...?