Ever have one of those days that is so good you just want to bottle it up so you can splash it on yourself when you're not having a great day. Today is one of those days. A day when I just want to savor every moment, every laugh, every smile from our kids. I want to purposely preserve it so I don't forget a detail, but these words I'm typing don't even seem to do justice to the feelings of pure satisfaction I felt this afternoon.
Today started out like any other day. We embarked on our daily homeschool routine. We read a chapter from Leviticus. We read a chapter of Indian in the Cupboard. We learned about King James I. Little did I know from him we got the King James version of the Bible. The kids did math, English, spelling, a little geography, read from the American Patriot's Almanac, and practiced their piano. Same similar routine that goes with most mornings around here.
The last few days it's been a bit chilly and we've found ourselves huddling indoors, but for some reason today seemed like a great day for a picnic at the beach. So after schooling we ran one errand then headed to Subway to grab a couple sandwiches. The boys had already packed up the car with bikes, helmets, backpacks with blankets and a good book. We were off.
We headed to one of our favorite beach locations. Deal was I got to go for a little jog at the beach while they biked along. After about a 30 minute run we secured the bikes and then headed to the sand.
The waves seemed more forceful today making a statement with each roll toward the beach. They begged to be noticed and admired. The boys envied the surfers who were out today, but I was glad our boys were along the shore with me...safe and sound...and we decided football was more our sport today.
I stood on one end and both boys were on the other side. We threw the football back and forth. With each throw I made they comically dove for the ball, tackled each other and laughed uncontrollably. I love seeing two brothers get along so well. I stood and marveled at the closeness our boys share. I pray this relationship continues to grow and that they forever become each other's best friend.
While the boys and I were playing our little girlie girl was setting up the sandy home front with the blanket. She organized the shoes on the blanket corners so the it was secure. She dusted the sand off and prepared for our meal.
The football toss continued for quite awhile and the whole time I was trying to take in every second. It was just one of those experiences when I thought, "I hope our kids remember this time at the beach."
After our fun, we ate our sandwiches, entertained a little black poodle named Molly who wanted to be part of our moment. Then as the sun started to go down, and the wind began to pick up the chill was getting to be a little too much for our youngest.
We packed up and as we were walking back to the car, our oldest son said, "Mom, it's really great that you're getting sporty. You've really improved on your football throwing."
My reply, "Honey, that's the best thing I've heard all day!"
For some reason his words really hit me. There was so much more behind those words. I don't think it's all about the football throwing. It's the time. It's the setting aside of everything else to take in these moments with our little ones. It's the savoring every moment, laughing, and cuddling on the blanket eating a sandwich. I think for him today was so much more than he could express too.
So as I go to sleep tonight, my prayer would be that God would engrave today on the archives of my memories and mark it "IMPORTANT" so I can retrieve it at a moment's notice. It was priceless and should not be forgotten!
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