Here she is showered and ready for bed, waiting patiently on the labor of love for her classmates. It is way past bedtime but I conceded to let her make the dough and the first two pans of cookies. I finished them up for her before I went to bed. We had a busy evening. There were spelling words to be learned, a math assignment to completed. Perhaps the most fun and time consuming assignment was one of our family ancestry and heritage. She learned a lot about both sides of the family. A well timed phone call from her grandfather allowed her to learn even more about her maternal side of the family. She was invited to bring a recipe that had some meaning to the family. She decided to bring our family oatmeal cookie recipe. Her Omom won both the blue and purple ribbon at the state fair with this cookie recipe. It is delish and her Pawee's favorite. Somehow, none of the cookies lasted long enough to make it to him.
Here she is carefully writing the facts that she has just learned. She is using the pencil that came from her 2nd grade entrepreneur fair. She created pencils that had fidgets on the end. They were a popular and fast selling item of the 2021 event. It was fun to watch her be surprised to hear that a portion of her family came over from England and likely fought in the American Revolution. They were farmers who lived in Virginia, Vermont, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Her great great grandfather was a horse trader known for his honesty and integrity which landed him as mayor of his town. Even though I am not sure honesty and integrity get you ahead in politics today, I do think they get you ahead in life so I hope she remembers where she came from and carries on the legacy that passed down through her oatmeal cookie loving grandfather to her.
The timely call from her grandfather came with an invite to come over for pizza. Ironically, she had piano and voice lessons to attend so her dinner would be a late one. We saved her a few slices. The invitation was such a welcome surprise. It is the end of the semester which always equates to a lot of long days, evening and weekend work. Today was no different and even though I had a dinner plan, I didn't have a plan that included helping K with her homework. I am not sure the invite was out of his mouth before I said, "That sounds great, we will be there soon!" Our family time together is more than it has been in the past but it is so great that I am unsure why we let the busy of our lives get in the way of it. It seems wise to remember where we came from in this setting as well. Keeping some of our focus there so that we don't let the hustle and bustle create distance where we desire nearness.
No evening would be complete without the brotherly love that looks a lot more like WWE. Is this just a mandatory part of having a brother? It drives both my mom and me crazy but that seems to be of little deterrent to these boys. There was laughter, the occasional snipping at each other, and then back to giggles. I hope these two remain friends for life. They are very different but matched in their kindness and empathy for others. They take after their dad in looking for opportunities to care for others. When they remember where they came from, their Dad's example will be an excellent resource for them.
The day may have been full and it felt chaotic. But as this blog does for me, the reflection shows that there is such goodness that lies in the space in between.
No comments:
Post a Comment