Joining with Lisa-Jo Baker and the crew once again to write for 5minutes without editing on a prompt. You really should check out the wide variety of responses to these weekly invitations — truly mind-blowing, so come on over and see what I mean.
Today’s prompt: BEAUTIFUL
GO:
I am so far from perfection, it ain’t even funny.
Just ask my husband.
Just ask my children.
Just ask my grandchildren.
I get a whole lot of things wrong.
I am opinionated, tend to be bossy, sigh too much and am impatient with
lots of people, starting with myself.
But I’m here to tell you,
I can celebrate special occasions with the best of ’em.
Yesterday was the fourth of July.
Tomorrow is my mother’s 92nd birthday.
So we had a day-long party.
It started with tennis for some,
food and beverage arrangements for others,
and Lego-Building for the youngest two.
Fortunately, the weather cooperated beautifully,
and the typical morning gloom hung around long enough
to play tennis without bright sunlight,
and then rolled away like the proverbial carpet
just in time to allow for cooling off in the pool,
enjoying lots of good food al fresco,
and eating birthday cake,
with homemade ice cream, no less,
all of it with a gaggle of people we love a lot.
It was a beautiful day.
We shared laughter and stories,
fresh corn on the cob and barbecued salmon for the meaties
and portabellos for the veggies,
and we leaned into it really, really well.
Like everything else in life, it was not perfect.
My mom is still facing the continuing losses of dementia,
and the ongoing realities of living with the loss of eyesight and hearing.
Our eldest grandsons are still feeling their way to
full adulthood and responsibility,
and at the end of it all,
my husband and I were fighting to stay awake.
But all those ‘negatives’ only serve to give sharp, bright edges to the positives,
and woven in and around the worries,
there was this underlying truth:
we are family.
We love each other, no matter what;
we are there for each other,
in good times and hard times,
and life is better when we live it together,
even if the REAL together is only once in a while.
STOP (90 extra seconds!)
A few extra pictures from the beautiful day we shared:
Some beautiful thoughts here! I’m glad I stopped by 🙂
Thank you, Bekka – for stopping by and for leaving kind words.
“Beautiful” – the perfect word for this, Diana. So much beauty in your words and in your life.
I keep seeing “no matter what” in your posts – and that’s the underlying theme of our book. It’s a good day – no matter what.
Yup. That becomes more true the longer we live, I think. Thanks for your kindness today, Patricia. And always.
looks like fun…wish I could have been there for the tennis! what a beautiful gift: 92 years!
Thanks for stopping by, Dina. They had a ball playing together – there were 6 of them who rotated in and out of the court that sits empty almost all the time – right next door to us!! Talk about a gift.
LoL! Thank you show off for showing the true beauty of your family 🙂
Thank you, Leah, for reading and commenting!
Thanks for weaving these words which also go along way to describing our gatherings. 🙂
Thanks, J & J – and I recognize your family pictures so often because they look a lot like ours.
I’m so glad you got to celebrate your mom’s birthday on such a beautiful day, in such a beautiful way!
Thank you, Kimberlee. I am, too!
What a lovely day! Thanks for sharing it with us…now if only you’d share that fabulous looking cake and ice cream!
It was FAB. Cake was from a local bakery that makes to-die-for chocolate cakes and the ice cream was homemade butterscotch, made by our 14 year old master chef grandson. Truly yummy.
Oh friend. These photos make me wish I was there, too. Especially for that cake! True beauty here in you, your words–and in your mother. She has the most beautiful smile.
Thanks, Sandy. Wish you could have been here, too – it was a fun day.
Happy Birthday to Momma…. = ) Hugs for both of you. <3
Thanks, Patty. Love you.
Family is a wonderful word. I miss the connection with my far-flung loved ones. I connect by cards, phone and prayer but it isn’t the same as being in the same room with my beloved sons and their families. My heart longed for a connection. Then a small germ of an idea dropped into my consciousness. Why not see my grandchildren and their parents every other month. It is a four hour trip but it would be worth the time and energy to see their faces, eat meals with them and make some beautiful memories. Your celebration has invigorated me to see the possibilities of how to create a getaway that could benefit all concerned. Thank you for sharing your 4th of July…and for the idea of regular visits with my family.
You’re very welcome, Kathy. And your plan sounds ideal – and definitely worth the effort. One of my kids lives 2 1/2 hours away, one an hour away and one just down the road about 10 minutes. We STILL have to be intentional about getting together because everyone is busy and committed to jobs, school, sports, church. Glad you found encouragement to make the effort by reading here!
I agree with the Halvorsons–you have expressed beautifully the unique joy we experience when family gathers. Thank you, Diana. In addition to the strong bonds of love, it may be the shared history and inside jokes that do much to augment the closeness. I thank God that he keeps our family knit together, even when we’re miles apart!
Thank you, Nancy. And I think you’re right about the history AND the jokes. They are strong threads in this tapestry of family.
Beautiful – particularly your mum! The cake looked pretty amazing, too! Also, thanks for a reminder of summer. We’re in the middle of a particularly cold snap in the middle of winter, right now – almost cold enough to snow, but not quite. And did I mention 4 energetic kids having school holidays?! So a reminder that summer is coming is very welcome 🙂
I’m glad your family all made the effort to celebrate together – it can be hard, juggling everyone’s busy lives, but it looks like it was well worth it!
Thanks, Donna! And it’s good for me to be reminded that friends in the southern hemisphere are not in the middle of summer as we in the north are! Hope the school holiday passes quickly and life settles into a smooth routine very soon now. :>)