blessed

Lucky Mommy

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St. Patrick’s day is this week, or as I like to call it, Irish Day.   I call it that for no other reason than my brain can’t seem to remember St. Patrick’s name.  Perhaps I shouldn’t be as lucky as I turned out to be?  But if my research is right, the day isn’t just about the anniversary of the death of a Saint but about celebrating Ireland.  Irish Day will do!

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know I count myself VERY fortunate in pretty much ALL areas of my life.  I use such words as blessed, grateful and lucky with abandon.  I’m like a broken record when it comes to Gratitude.  But when I think about it, being grateful isn’t about having luck.  Yet, I know that I am lucky to be grateful.  Does that make sense?   It’s like the chicken and the egg thing.  Are you grateful because your life is full? Or is your life full because you are grateful?  I hold firm in the belief that our perspective on our lives is everything.  One woman’s bliss is another woman’s nightmare.  And so it goes.

It’s like when you read those affirmations on social media explaining life in 10 words or less.  The secret to having it all is believing that you do.  That one is my favorite.  While I make fun of it being posted all over Pinterest, I actually believe the sentiment wholeheartedly.  Someone might look at my life and think “Oh God! Who would want that?”  But for me? It’s perfection.  It’s funny, because this is coming from a girl who always looked over her shoulder, wondering if the grass was greener somewhere else.  But now, while the reality of my actual lawn is bare patches and grubs, figuratively, it is the lushest lawn in the land.  Instead of looking over my shoulder, these days I gaze in wonder at my amazing husband and our beautiful son and I thank my lucky stars.

I know I have abundance in my life.  And I know I don’t have certain challenges that many people face.  But I certainly have a healthy share of challenges and road blocks in my life.  The point is, everyone has their cross to bear.  We all have something.  Because that is Life.  The good and the bad.  It’s all about how we handle what we are given.  How we react.  In fact,  our reactions are the only things we actually can control in our life.  The choice is ours.  The glass is either half full or half empty.

I have spent my life around enough “half empty” people to know its not a path I’d like to follow.  I prefer to believe my cup runneth over. I choose the wonder of rainbows and the possibility of pots of gold. I prefer to drink in and savor every moment with my husband and son.  My life with them is a happiness I had only heard about until I was fortunate enough to experience it myself.  So am I lucky? Aye…..I believe that I am.  And that makes it so.

Until next time, may the road rise up to meet you, and remember, behind every great kid is a mom who is pretty sure she is screwing it up.  Thank you so much for reading! Xo

At The End Of The Rainbow

 

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As I sit here sipping my morning coffee I am filled with a feeling of contentment and gratitude.  It’s  quiet moments like this in our home that allow me to reflect on the blessings bestowed upon us.  Yeah, I am also making a grocery list in my head and thinking about how I will accomplish one of my DIY home projects today….but for the most part, I’m just acknowledging how grateful I am.

You see, I am a type A personality, if you couldn’t tell already.  I have this hyper gene in my makeup that makes me think I can do everything…all at once.  It is hard for me to relax and do nothing.  (It seems like such a waste!). But I am reminded, it seems by everyone, that it is, indeed, important to sometimes do just that.  Nothing.  At least to slow down.

I am going to share something that will no doubt make my haters hate me even more.  And that’s fine with me.  I have the best husband/partner in the Universe.  To say, “in the world”  doesn’t seem enough.  He is constantly reminding me to take in the simple things.  The little moments that I would have most likely trampled over on my way to Home Depot.  The instances that turn into moments that create memories that define our lives.  For instance,  one night this summer he set a blanket out on the lawn so we could lay on it and watch the shooting stars.  We saw like 10! The other night, he actually set an alarm (because we struggle to stay up past 9pm) so we could go outside and watch the super lunar eclipse.  I would have slept right through it.  It was spectacular.

Several weeks ago he showed me something that I seem to keep revisiting because it was THAT awesome.  Evenings this summer we would take O to the playground that is near our house.  He adores it.  On this particular night we were there for only about 10 minutes and the sky started to spit raindrops.  We went for cover under the pirate ship, as we were sure it was only a quick sun shower.  Then it started to really pour.  Even the plastic rendition of the Black Pearl couldn’t  keep us dry. We decided to make a run for the car and head home.  As we turned towards to parking lot we saw a huge rainbow.  It took us by surprise.  We scurried over to the car and Ian said, “Let’s find the end of the rainbow!”  I was like, “Seriously?”  “We’re gonna get soaked.” He looked at me with THAT look and said,   “We’re already soaked.”

So off we ran into the baseball field towards the rainbow’s end.  With our child in tow, like children ourselves.  O loved getting wet.  He squealed with absolute delight.  We stopped somewhere in right field and realized the end of the rainbow was Us.  We were standing right where it ended.  We were our own pot of gold!  If that’s not a God-wink, I don’t know what is.  The point is, I would have gotten into the car and drove home,  never seeing the amazing metaphor that now describes our life to me. It is my great fortune to be blessed with a partner who wants to lay under the stars and run in the rain.  Now, of course there are other facets to my dear husband.  He isn’t romping through the daffodils everyday and while he is an optimist, he has never worn a pair of rose colored glasses.  But time and time again he shows me what is truly important.

There is a scene in the classic film, Its A Wonderful Life, where George Bailey is sitting outside his Mother’s house while his brother’s engagement party is going on.  Ma Bailey comes out and tells him Mary Hatch is home from college and he should call on her.  She says of Mary, “She’s the kind of girl who’ll help you find the answers, George.”  I always loved that scene.  Who knew the answers involved such simple wonderful things? Like the laugh of our child, starry nights and a partner who shows me what’s at the end of the rainbow.

Until next time, keep fighting the good fight and remember, behind every great kid is a mom who is pretty sure she is screwing it up! Xo