Wednesday, January 29, 2014

SNOW WAY







 
 
Schools let out around here about 11:30 yesterday. I couldn't leave until all of my students were safely off campus so Dad was "on-call" to get Brax off the bus. As soon as I left work I went to pick up the wild woman and we got home and relieved Dad. For hours we kept looking out the windows wondering where all the snow was the caused us to get out of school early. Brax asked over and over again if school was cancelled and I tried explaining that something needed to happen before we could cancel school. About 5 pm that something started and when the kids woke up this morning they were so excited about what was outside.
Braxton is experiencing his first snow day from school and Mckinley has just seen her first snow.
Because is snows so "much" around here neither of my kids have "snow gear" so we compromised and layered our clothes and wore bags on our shoes to keep them dry for as long as possible. We came up with our on version of a sled. My last words were "don't break it. That's a perfectly good box." Brax slid down great. I got in and got scared when I got half-way down and saw a car coming down the street. I literally busted out. So much for that box.
Whatever. It worked for a bit. Then we got cold and came on inside.
Fun stuff!!
 

Thursday, January 2, 2014

An Angel Among Us


I used to have this crazy dream that I'd be out walking along a street and would stop at an intersection before crossing. I'd look to the left, then right and then I'd stop. I had just walked into my mom. My dream would then go as far as me thinking if I'd be mad at her or how I'd react when I saw her just standing there. Would I tell her how angry I had been? Would I tell her the heartache that we had all felt? That dream stopped about 10 years ago. I concluded that if I DID bump into her I'd hug her and tell her how much I had missed her. And then I told myself that she'd always be in my heart.
SIXTEEN years ago on this night Mama left us. No one suspected her departure. No one knew how sick she was. No one realized how different our life would be from that point on. Next year I will have lived longer without her then I ever lived with her.
I now think about all the things I'd want to tell her if I bumped into her and I think that there is NOTHING I'd want to tell her. If I had it my way, I'd keep all the years and events she missed for myself. I wouldn't trade them. I've met some amazing people, learned some amazing lessons, and visited beautiful places. For all the hurt and pain that losing her caused my life, I'd never trade it. It's all made me who I am.
What I'd want more than anything is for her to hold and meet the people I regret she never got to know.
 "Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."