School Picnic and Time with the Birdheads
Yesterday was a great day. My big boy and I cleaned the house in the morning and made 'Dr. Seuss Cookies' for his school picnic in the afternoon. The baby was content to crawl around exploring and so the day moved along very smoothly. The picnic was for all the students (there were 14 this year) and their parents and siblings. It was my first time attending a 'school function' for my child. I loved it. The other parents were lovely, the kids played nicely together, everyone loved our cookies and I got to have a real conversation with my son's teachers. I'm even more impressed with them now than I was before! I didn't even think that was possible. These people are special. I am so incredibly thankful for them.
The teachers (who are husband and wife) are both 73 years old. They met when they were in college. He said he saw her and knew she was the one for him. She said that wasn't entirely accurate, but she was smiling from ear to ear. They took turns correcting each other and enjoying the memories. I became lost in their story. Then, suddenly, I could see it. I could see them 55 years ago. Young, smart, beautiful people, who were just starting out, full of dreams and ideas and ready to find 'the other'. Ready to find the one who would understand them. Ready to find the one who would compliment them. Ready to find the one who would ground them. Ready to love, not to just be 'in love'. Make no mistake, I could still see the 'in love' part, too. Theirs has been an interesting journey, so far. They have been married for 51 years, had three children together and have been teaching together for 45 years. Sadly, they lost one child many years ago. I'm sure that pain never really goes away. However, in the face of personal tragedy, they managed to not only find their own joy, but share it with so many other children and families. I am in awe. I don't often find people to revere, but these two are definitely on my very short list.
Sadly, it was time to go home all too soon, but I had other things be excited about. Two of my friends from high school joined me for dinner downtown. I left the boys with my husband and set off to be 'Elise', rather than 'Mommy', if only for a few hours. I love being 'Mommy', but I need to remember what 'Elise' is all about, too. These girls (women, ladies, whatever) were just what I needed. I've known them both since the 4th grade. They are as different as night and day, yet I enjoy them both. One works full-time, one part-time and I stay home. We each have different religious beliefs (or lack thereof). I enjoy seeing the women they've become. They both have good marriages and nice kids. We have more in common now than we did when we became friends, so many years ago. I love that. It's rare, but beautiful. When you have friends you've known for almost your entire life, there's so much history. You don't have to explain yourself. They already know. So, you can catch up on the recent stuff of life and then get on to the really important things. My friend, Natalie, is dealing with a personal tragedy, right now. We could talk about it, cry about it and even laugh about it. In the next breath, we were onto kids and jobs and bosses and husbands... There's nothing we can't talk about and there were absolutely no lulls in the conversation. Three hours went by in no time and I can't wait to do it again. I drove my friend, Katie, back to her car and we made plans to get together in July.
The teachers (who are husband and wife) are both 73 years old. They met when they were in college. He said he saw her and knew she was the one for him. She said that wasn't entirely accurate, but she was smiling from ear to ear. They took turns correcting each other and enjoying the memories. I became lost in their story. Then, suddenly, I could see it. I could see them 55 years ago. Young, smart, beautiful people, who were just starting out, full of dreams and ideas and ready to find 'the other'. Ready to find the one who would understand them. Ready to find the one who would compliment them. Ready to find the one who would ground them. Ready to love, not to just be 'in love'. Make no mistake, I could still see the 'in love' part, too. Theirs has been an interesting journey, so far. They have been married for 51 years, had three children together and have been teaching together for 45 years. Sadly, they lost one child many years ago. I'm sure that pain never really goes away. However, in the face of personal tragedy, they managed to not only find their own joy, but share it with so many other children and families. I am in awe. I don't often find people to revere, but these two are definitely on my very short list.
Sadly, it was time to go home all too soon, but I had other things be excited about. Two of my friends from high school joined me for dinner downtown. I left the boys with my husband and set off to be 'Elise', rather than 'Mommy', if only for a few hours. I love being 'Mommy', but I need to remember what 'Elise' is all about, too. These girls (women, ladies, whatever) were just what I needed. I've known them both since the 4th grade. They are as different as night and day, yet I enjoy them both. One works full-time, one part-time and I stay home. We each have different religious beliefs (or lack thereof). I enjoy seeing the women they've become. They both have good marriages and nice kids. We have more in common now than we did when we became friends, so many years ago. I love that. It's rare, but beautiful. When you have friends you've known for almost your entire life, there's so much history. You don't have to explain yourself. They already know. So, you can catch up on the recent stuff of life and then get on to the really important things. My friend, Natalie, is dealing with a personal tragedy, right now. We could talk about it, cry about it and even laugh about it. In the next breath, we were onto kids and jobs and bosses and husbands... There's nothing we can't talk about and there were absolutely no lulls in the conversation. Three hours went by in no time and I can't wait to do it again. I drove my friend, Katie, back to her car and we made plans to get together in July.
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