The Road Not Taken

Simon - nearly 2

Daniel - 7
Ben - 5

Mason - 4 1/2 (the half is very important)

Maya, nearly 7, with Lucy, 3 1/2 months

"Yes, it would be fun to go back and travel the road not taken, especially with the grandkids." ~Robert Brault

I ran across this thought today (Robert Brault is a writer whose thoughts seem to connect well with my own, only he has the facility to put things much more clearly than I do!) and loved it. Anyone who knows me knows that the topic of grandkiddoes speaks to my heart. I knew long before I ever had any that I wanted grandchildren. I love children in general, love my own children so much -- but I knew somehow that the grandma experience would be exceptional and I wanted it badly. And as I have had that experience (with the most precious of children, I might add!) my heart has surprised me by the strength of the emotion I feel for them.

They make everything better. It's always fun to do even the simplest things with them because to them, life is an adventure. And being included in those adventures is what makes my life rich and full. I often muse about the road not taken and I love the thought of the fun exploring it with a grandchild. They have such curiosity and that wide-eyed excitement that pulls a willing grandma right along with them.

They are all different, they are all funny and bright, and they are all loving. And they are all loved immensely by their grandma, who is grateful for them every day of her life.

Which makes me even more grateful for the knowledge I have of the eternal nature of the family -- to be with these precious family members forever is one of the greatest blessings I can claim.

A New Start

"God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the one I can, and the wisdom to know it's me". ~Author unknown, variation of an excerpt from "The Serenity Prayer" by Reinhold Neibuhr

How can it be the first day of school? (and I know that it's already been the first day of school in other places!) The summer has flown for me. And I am having this fall-ish feeling that I love -- sort of the feeling of a new start (you know what I mean) and time to get back on a schedule etc. Which is weird considering I have no one who lives at home with me except Mark -- and he's on the same schedule he's always been on.

But I do love that feeling. It's the right time of year to step into the routine, to feel the steadiness of scheduling, to get back to (trying, anyhow) being better about keeping dinners fixed on time, to stay up on my church calling, to get my house in order. That's what fall says to me -- even when the temps here are over 100.

And the above thought spoke to me today so loudly and clearly that I couldn't not post it -- the person who always needs the most work is me. And what better time than now to work on that?

Happy First Day of School, wherever you are!

(it doesn't look like the picture here -- but it sure says fall to me!)

Road Trip!

Looking forward to a Mason family reunion in Missouri - we leave on Thursday and I think I'm as bad as the kids are: the anticipation makes it twice as much fun!

To Be Useful

"The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and have lived well." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Mason loves Thomas the Tank Engine. Maybe not quite as much as he used to, but still -- a lot. So we have gotten to know Thomas and those who populate his world. What Thomas really wants is to be a 'really useful engine'. Which to me means that he wants what he does to count for something. I like that. Because that's what I want too. I want what I do to matter. I want the things I do to be pleasing not only to myself, but more, to my Heavenly Father.

So as I go through my days, I remind myself to look for opportunities to be an instrument in His hands. Because I want to be like Thomas: 'a really useful engine.'