Cherishing Yesterday
One can surely know it is March here by the various weather we have had all thrown together this week. One day we had weather in the forties with rain and gusts of wind that could take down a tree. The next we had bitter winds with huge snowflakes that languished to the ground, never sticking. The next day we awoke to a thick blanket of snow covering the land. By the following day the snow had gone, leaving a damp world welcoming the temperatures in the seventies that followed the next with light wind and openly dancing sunlight.
So be it, it is spring in the Midwest, which makes me happy as I delight at the days ahead. That is after all the true meaning of Spring, isn't it? The ability of March to tempt us of what is to come and yet also remind us of what is behind, is a thing of beauty in it's own right: giving us that rare moment where we are standing on the threshold of seasons and can hope and reflect collectively.
Yesterday was a day of heavenly proportions. Not in that anything phenomenal happened, but rather that it was a day of everyday bliss, one that makes you sure you've seen a bit of God's love radiating down in some earthly form.
Nicholas had the day off, so we jaunted off to a new store we (I!) had heard of. It is a teaching/educational store but it was dubbed as a "homeschooler's headquarters" so off we went. It was an hour away in a village I had never been to, let alone could have found on a map previous to our trek. It was a joy though in that it was a place Nick had developed and worked with when he was in Economic Development. It was such fun to see him explain to me what had been done and what was still needed. What he had suggested for the city and whom he had worked with from the village to shape and form the plans.
The store in and of itself was small, but mighty. It had so many things I had only heard of. I'm sure many of you have done this yourselves...you hear of something or see it online and think "I could order that from anywhere online" if you don't have it near you, but so often I forget to even look for it. It is a fleeting moment of inspiration and then forgotten. Well so many of those items that I've seen in a magazine or read about, were there!
Afterwards we drove around, and then decided that we needed to go to a small store to look for my Mom a Birthday gift. I found her, by the way, a beautiful pendant. It is nothing "Spectacular" but I think she will enjoy it. It's always such a job to find something my mom will like. oi. But while I was purchasing the necklace from an older lady she told me "your children are absolutely precious. Cherish your time with them." Ah, those blessed words we all as mothers need to hear from time to time. Precious! Cherish! Tears sprang to my eyes as I could tell she spoke with tender memories of her own children in her heart...yes I do cherish them and find them tender. But I need to do that more.
Afterwards we found a tucked-away toyshop for the children to discover. It is always fun for both child and parent when you discover a toystore that is unique in its own right, and warrents a good searching through and enjoying. A store where you find yourself enjoying a book on an endless pile of pillows, blissfully unaware of how much time has lapsed.
Soon thereafter we were on our way home, where we picked up Lucy and our golf clubs and headed out to the neighborhood park. The children loved hitting golf balls and running around. The sunshine danced through the ancient trees onto their innocent faces. It was a beautiful day.
When we came home we made homemade pizzas and had lots of fun laughing and just being a family.
Is there anything more lovely than being a family?
There is nothing about yesterday I would have changed. Not a thing.
Today we are in for a day filled with school before they are swept away by their Grandmother for a day of fun with her. And as I run through our day of school and chores and everything else that needs done, I will be sure to cherish.
Cherish.