Every Day Should Be A Memorial Day
I love days off from work. Extra long weekends, more time with the family and cookouts are always a plus in my book.
This Memorial Day weekend, we decided to not travel mainly because we had no money to do so. Bummer. But it is funny how we can always find a way to spend some anyway. Sometimes it just can’t be helped.
Saturday was just a normal day for us, with one exception: Mr. Right met with another guy friend in the morning for coffee and pastries. I’m really excited about this meeting because sometimes guys just don’t develop the same kind of open, sharing relationships that we girls do. (I happen to be married to a man who wants and likes to talk things out with other men; his problem is that he has a hard time finding men who wants/likes to have those conversations. God has blessed him with a couple of really good friends who have the same needs, so he has some guy outlets.) Anyway, I’m excited about it because it is another fellow Christian man who seems to be willing to be as open and eager as Mr. Right. I am hopeful that it will progress into a really good, deep friendship over time. (Jim, if you are reading this, ummm, no pressure or anything…)
I lied; there was one other really neat thing about Saturday: I actually got to talk with Susanne, our fellow commenter. She doesn't have a blog that you can visit, but we have all seen her comments on the blog. It was sooo thrilling to talk with a new friend from the blogging community. And let me just tell you, she is just as friendly on the phone as she is in her comments! So I saw it as a real blessing to be able to chat with her. (Don’t worry, Susanne; all your secrets are safe with me. I won’t even mention that bit about where your shorts ended up at the end of that game…J)
Sunday was really fun because, after five years of living in KC, we finally went to one of the outdoor events. We joined 35,000 other attendees at the Symphony at Union Station. It was a lovely night for it too. We took blankets and KFC and went with some friends of ours to listen to the evening of music and to watch the most spectacular fireworks display. Great conversations, beautiful music and magnificent lighting? It was a night that made staying in town worthwhile.
Yesterday was the standard “I’m so glad I have an extra day off so that I can make everyone else work on stuff” day. We, much to the chagrin of the kids, cleaned the house, went through the dresser drawers to find out what fit and what did not (my daughter has one pair of jeans left to her name… Ugh, it’s a good thing it is shorts season), and shopping for sandals for the kids. (See I told you that we can manage to spend money even if we don’t have any to spend!)
We did make it a point to sit and to talk with the kids about the beauty of this day – about those who died to make us free, about the early wars in this country and about the men and women who are serving now to keep us safe. We talked about the respect every service person deserves and why we pray for them, specifically on that day. I really want the kids to remember the memory of this day, rather than seeing it as a day off from school. They prayed about it so some of it must be getting into their heads. I hope that we can keep it from being limited to two days a year. So many have fought and died to go un-remembered.
That evening we had some of our most favorite people over for dinner. It is such a shame that we don’t see more of each other… I really love Jenni. She is like the sister I never had. When we were in chorale together, she and I would get into so much trouble because we would get everyone else laughing, rather than paying attention to the director. We have so much fun together and laugh until our sides hurt, plus we are completely open and honest with each other, sharing our fears, frustrations and all the “ugly” parts about ourselves. She knows things about me that I hope never to be revealed, and yet she still loves me. Jenni is the person with whom I can not talk for a month, but as soon as I see her again, I can pick up right where I left off without her missing a beat. She also is a spiritually mature woman who can tell me plainly when I am wrong and when I am doing the right things. That is one of my favorite things about her, her realness and her desire to please God. That and the fact that she is just like me so she gets me.
Needless to say, we had a wonderful meal and gabfest with her and her family. We have got to invite them over more often. Life is too short to not enjoy good friends.
Today is just like any other Monday, except that it is Tuesday and I seem to have double the amount of work to do, with all the "Monday challenges" that this day would entail. Perhaps I should have taken this day off as well... Nah, I'd just have a Monday on a Wednesday and that would really screw me up.
I’ll still take a long weekend any time, even if I'll regret it later.
This Memorial Day weekend, we decided to not travel mainly because we had no money to do so. Bummer. But it is funny how we can always find a way to spend some anyway. Sometimes it just can’t be helped.
Saturday was just a normal day for us, with one exception: Mr. Right met with another guy friend in the morning for coffee and pastries. I’m really excited about this meeting because sometimes guys just don’t develop the same kind of open, sharing relationships that we girls do. (I happen to be married to a man who wants and likes to talk things out with other men; his problem is that he has a hard time finding men who wants/likes to have those conversations. God has blessed him with a couple of really good friends who have the same needs, so he has some guy outlets.) Anyway, I’m excited about it because it is another fellow Christian man who seems to be willing to be as open and eager as Mr. Right. I am hopeful that it will progress into a really good, deep friendship over time. (Jim, if you are reading this, ummm, no pressure or anything…)
I lied; there was one other really neat thing about Saturday: I actually got to talk with Susanne, our fellow commenter. She doesn't have a blog that you can visit, but we have all seen her comments on the blog. It was sooo thrilling to talk with a new friend from the blogging community. And let me just tell you, she is just as friendly on the phone as she is in her comments! So I saw it as a real blessing to be able to chat with her. (Don’t worry, Susanne; all your secrets are safe with me. I won’t even mention that bit about where your shorts ended up at the end of that game…J)
Sunday was really fun because, after five years of living in KC, we finally went to one of the outdoor events. We joined 35,000 other attendees at the Symphony at Union Station. It was a lovely night for it too. We took blankets and KFC and went with some friends of ours to listen to the evening of music and to watch the most spectacular fireworks display. Great conversations, beautiful music and magnificent lighting? It was a night that made staying in town worthwhile.
Yesterday was the standard “I’m so glad I have an extra day off so that I can make everyone else work on stuff” day. We, much to the chagrin of the kids, cleaned the house, went through the dresser drawers to find out what fit and what did not (my daughter has one pair of jeans left to her name… Ugh, it’s a good thing it is shorts season), and shopping for sandals for the kids. (See I told you that we can manage to spend money even if we don’t have any to spend!)
We did make it a point to sit and to talk with the kids about the beauty of this day – about those who died to make us free, about the early wars in this country and about the men and women who are serving now to keep us safe. We talked about the respect every service person deserves and why we pray for them, specifically on that day. I really want the kids to remember the memory of this day, rather than seeing it as a day off from school. They prayed about it so some of it must be getting into their heads. I hope that we can keep it from being limited to two days a year. So many have fought and died to go un-remembered.
That evening we had some of our most favorite people over for dinner. It is such a shame that we don’t see more of each other… I really love Jenni. She is like the sister I never had. When we were in chorale together, she and I would get into so much trouble because we would get everyone else laughing, rather than paying attention to the director. We have so much fun together and laugh until our sides hurt, plus we are completely open and honest with each other, sharing our fears, frustrations and all the “ugly” parts about ourselves. She knows things about me that I hope never to be revealed, and yet she still loves me. Jenni is the person with whom I can not talk for a month, but as soon as I see her again, I can pick up right where I left off without her missing a beat. She also is a spiritually mature woman who can tell me plainly when I am wrong and when I am doing the right things. That is one of my favorite things about her, her realness and her desire to please God. That and the fact that she is just like me so she gets me.
Needless to say, we had a wonderful meal and gabfest with her and her family. We have got to invite them over more often. Life is too short to not enjoy good friends.
Today is just like any other Monday, except that it is Tuesday and I seem to have double the amount of work to do, with all the "Monday challenges" that this day would entail. Perhaps I should have taken this day off as well... Nah, I'd just have a Monday on a Wednesday and that would really screw me up.
I’ll still take a long weekend any time, even if I'll regret it later.
Labels: Family
posted by Shalee at 12:09 PM
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