It stays behind

 

This week, thankfully, has been a little less "eventful" than the last couple!  That being said, I am more than eager to claim my weekend!  

Madison fell down the stairs on Wednesday and messed up her ankle pretty good.  She had an x-ray and it is not broken, but she is having a hard time walking and getting around.  Mallory has stepped in and had Evelyn for a couple of nights.  Jim ran early this morning (because we were out of bus subs, and so she had to drive) and he helped her move the car seats and diaper bags so she wouldn't accidentally drop the baby.  Grandma took over her noon run so she won't have to go out as much, and I am planning to help her reload for her afternoon run.  It makes me happy that the kids are close enough that we can help them out, and it makes me really happy to get to see my girls!  

I mentioned before the that weather has been incredible for most of this month.  The other thing I notice is that the sunrises and sunsets have been extraordinarily vibrant.  I love the part of the day (morning and evening) where the only light is barely peeking over the horizon and the world is all shadowy and sleepy feeling.  In the morning, it is the promise of a new day, before life comes along to make a mess of things, and in the evening, I am generally starting to think about evening things, people getting home, having a nice meal together, and relaxing after the chaos of the day.   Time I need - happy thoughts to start the day, and relaxing thoughts to end it.  I am thankful I live where the sunrises and sunsets are not blurred out.

And I find myself once again in a reflective mood, as I am planning to attend the funeral of a classmate tomorrow.  We aren't young by any stretch of the imagination, but I don't think we are to a place where burying people I graduated with is the norm yet.  I love where I live, I am fully immersed in the community,  I live here, work here, try to do my business here when I can, send my kids to school here, and I believe wholeheartedly that it is an amazing place to be.  There is a part of it that I feel we don't discuss much, and that  is that I went to grade school (k-8th grade) with the same 30 kids.  We went on to high school together as well, and were added into 2 other communities to make a bit bigger graduating class, but my childhood was spent with the same kids.  When you are in a small class, you really get to know people.  You are invited into their homes for birthdays and holidays. You took your first tests together, learned to read, and to drive together, skipped school and got in trouble together, took your first sip of Jack at the county lake leaning on the back of their first crappy car together.  You get to know their siblings, their parents, and sometimes even their grandparents.  You know when they have children, and your children go to school with them.  You are in their lives whether you want to be or not.  So when one of them passes, it sort of hits weird.  Like an extended family member.  Since I graduated, I have not really kept up with all of my classmates, however, because I know their siblings, parents and extended family members, I have kept tabs on most of them.  I care about what happens to them, and I am saddened to think that one of them isn't here with his family any longer.  Life is a little unfair sometimes, and a whole lot odd.  I feel like some of the stuff I have learned in my life was completely worthless.  I have never, not once used any of the geometry I was forced to take.  I have never been asked to recite historical dates, or been told I have to name every bone in the human body in order to get a job (although I could totally do that).  What I never learned in school, or in life really was how to handle situations like these.  How do you adequately show sympathy to a person's family who you have not really kept up with?  How do you look at your own kids and not wonder if they will be affected in the same way some day because they are forming friendships with people and getting to know their families?  And actually  hoping that they do, because having connections and really getting to know people is a blessing.  And wondering if someday, when it is your turn to pass from this life, the legacy you leave will be a positive one.    You know, light and airy thoughts for the end of the week.     

And now that I have added in my 2 cents worth of random thoughts, I will just say I am thankful that this week is one we can leave behind us, and I am happy that we have an entire weekend in front of us to relax, take in some sunshine, and perhaps share a warm meal with loved ones.  And I will be soaking up all of the family time, because I still can.