Monday, January 23, 2012

Footloose

I cannot believe it's been about 5 months since the last post on this blog.  There's just so much to tell that I don't know where to begin.  Really, I just don't know where to start.  The new (but not anymore) puppies?  The growth (both physical and maturity) of our kids?  The struggles-yet-intense-JOY of my new job at the church (but it's not really new because it's almost been a YEAR!)?  The profound peace-yet-disorganization that is our family's life?

Yeah, I don't have that much time.

So for now, I'll just start with last night...Sunday night.  Our pool has been completed since Christmas Eve, and the kids wanted to play in the water as the January evening was a balmy 65 degrees.  My first inclination was to say, "NO!  Go shower and get ready for bed before Dad's done with the burgers on the grill!"  Didn't they know it was a school night?  Didn't they know that bedtime was looming and that they needed to be asleep at a decent hour to ensure an easy morning for both them and for Mom?  Didn't they know that this would mean more laundry piles for me?

But, for some crazy reason (perhaps it was our pastor's sermon about keeping the Sabboth holy and not working on Sundays) I gave them the "thumbs up."  It started with the kids wading in the pool.  That turned into a full-fledged swim in their jammies.  The puppies joined in the fun and waded into the pool....only to race around the ungrassy yard in the dirt...necessitating a deep-cleaning for the both of them.  The kids ended up dining pool-side--soaking wet and shivering cold.....and declaring last night one of the "best nights ever."



Sometimes cutting loose and letting the rules bend just a tad is all it takes to make an ordinary night an extraordinary night.  Sans any electrical gadgets.

I need to remember to do that more often.  Here's to a year full of "footloose" moments and memories.


1 comment:

sojourner said...

Wondered when you would take the plunge to a new pool! So glad you loosened up and let the wee ones indulge. Maybe you should invite some of your girlfriends over for a plunge and a few glasses of wine! Can't wait for your lunch date :0)