Friday night grateful moment

onight I sat in my car outside Seth's high school and waited for him to trumpet (along with the rest of the band) all the seniors into their graduation ceremonies. I began writing my grateful list on my iPad, and felt like I really was spinning the words quite beautifully. So imagine my horror when I could not find my draft saved in BlogPress on my iPad. Gone. Poof. Oh the grumpiness. I swear, the words of my post, they were like spun sugar, baby. Now, you'll be lucky to get gruel. Ha.

OK, so here's the gist: It was peaceful. And sunny. With a slight breeze. There were clouds building along the horizon though, and I felt sure a storm was coming. But, since I love summer storms, that was going to be just fine by me. I heard The Star-Spangled Banner float across the lawn, and stated in my post a conviction that nothing could compel me to get out and investigate what a large public high school graduation looks and feels like. (Girl Who Does Not Like Crowds is my native name.) Then. Pomp and Circumstance. My nostalgic heart pitter-patted. I kid you not, it was like something took me by the hand and said, "Sher, we know you can't stand crowds, but you really need to go see the spectacle." And so I did. I wandered the outskirts and discovered that it really IS as crowded and spectacle-y as I've been told. (Family: we have three years to plot our strategy. We CAN do it.)

This is the view as I walked the perimeter. The band is right by the guy in full military dress.
And all those miniature people in blue, that's the class of 2012! (Somehow the crowd looks deceptively small through the trees and bushes. There had to be at least 2,000 in attendance.)

I poked around behind where the band was playing and saw the back of Seth's head, essentially. I enjoyed hearing (a bit loudly--I was RIGHT by the drums) the school fight song after all the graduates were finally seated, and then kept wandering around the whole perimeter of the school campus. If I seem like some small-town girl at her first dance, well, I kind of am... I graduated from a parochial/denominational academy with 86 kids (in 1986, so how fabulous is that number?). So this hundreds of graduates business is a little crazy. Also crazy? The idea that police/security could be needed (other than teachers on PDA duty) at events; that was certainly not on my little bubble-world radar.

So there you have it, my evening. All that is to say, I DID have a grateful list, and it did include a few of the following...

The weather, crazy as it's been some days... I call it spring-into-summer and finally it's really starting to feel like the "into summer" part could come true. I'm loving it all.

 Driving home tonight.

The garden, and my fabulous husband who is keeping it weed-free, mostly. It's always to neat and tidy until the July heat and then it takes on jungle characteristics.

Our pond, and pretty fish. Some thoughtful co-workers gave a few orange, yellow, spotted and white-ish goldfish to help stock our little water garden. The new fish have integrated wonderfully and swim around in what I deem a happy manner. Who knows. They *seem* contented.

House "stuff" is progressing, though choosing a color to paint the exterior is somewhat challenging... there are so many tints and hues to any given color. Oy. But on the bright(er) side, juniper demolition begins on Monday, so set those tractors to high gear, the shrubs are getting yanked!

Our strawberries have finally ripened! I've been jealous of everyone else's early berries, and it seemed like ours were green forever. But this week it just happened! Fabulous flavor too. I have a hankering for a real strawberry pie...

source

Generous spirits. Does that sound fruity? What I mean is those who give to people around them, not in a material way, but in a supportive and a "I don't have to be first" kind of way. When you meet these people, you just KNOW. I am fortunate to have friends and colleagues who embody this, and I'm always grateful to meet new people who fall into this category as well. The world needs more generous spirits.

My family; I have big love for my family. We three, and then the larger group as well... just a pasture away we have a whole bunch of love and support from husband's family; and across the state there's more of mine, and up across a border too. I can't remember what got me reflecting on family this week, but I did some digging around in some picture files and have a hankering to scan a few... sweet nieces at early ages, lovely husband, dear Seth at any age (biased mom!), a couple of my "Sue Heck years" that make me smile. I posted the video below to Facebook this week, just because I am on such a Sue Heck kick (The Middle on ABC. If you don't watch it, you should.) Eden Sher (the actress who plays Sue) deserves an award or two--she nails the awkward teen so very well.



Laughter. Seth has been providing much in the way of laughter lately, the funny boy. Our car rides can be quite comical, which could sound disconcerting considering that HE'S the driver these days... but we're safe, really we are. Tonight on the way home from graduation, as the storm advanced, I commented how much I love a summer storm and his first response: "Well, as long as it doesn't mess with the internet." As I type that, it doesn't sound so funny. But it was somehow quite hilarious to the two of us, at the time.

 The driver. Calm. Confident.

 The mother/instructor/backseat driver. Calm. Relaxed...

Or is she? Ha.

He's such a fabulous boy to put up with his crazy mother.

It amazes me how quickly I forget my blessings and can stray from a place of peace or gratitude; it would seem like I should be able to stay on track for more than seven days at a time. I'm afraid not; this girl has the attention span of a gnat most days. This ritual has, I think, wired me to stay closer to gratitude, all the time. And I'm grateful for that!

I hope you can find a place of gratitude this weekend too, and share it with someone dear.

Peace.