Who knew?

This past week I've been spending some extra time helping my little man with his homework.  He usually brings a packet home at the beginning of the week and we work on it a little at a time, but this last week his assignment has been to write stories.  When I saw this assignment I was a bit apprehensive.  School has not been the easiest thing for my little boy to tackle.  He has spent the last several months adjusting to hearing aids and playing catch up with the rest of the class.  It's been hard, but he's been a real trooper about it.  It's been hard for him to learn the sounds for each letter, and also difficult for him to learn to write them.  It became clear to me how difficult it's been on New Year's Eve when we printed out these fun goal setting sheets.  One of the questions asks what the greatest lesson learned was from the previous year, and his answer was writing.  Although it has been hard, he really appreciates having done it.  So, when the assignment came home from school to write a story each night I was really worried.  He on the other hand was pretty excited to author his own books and illustrate them as well.  My goal was to help him complete the required three books to ensure that he completed the assignment.  He however had something else in mind.  After completing his first book, he told me that his goal was to write at least seven.  Imagine the smile that those words brought to my face.  I had not seen him this excited about homework since, well, ever.  So each day he came home with a different booklet, and each day we sat by the fire and discussed what his stories would be about and how he would illustrate them.  He wrote about his horse, about his dog, and even about the chicken who came to live at our house for several days.  He had so much to say, and he was so excited about it.  Who knew that this would be the case?  Who knew that he would love writing this much?  Who knew that he would want to become a story teller on paper?  Who knew that this assignment would become one of my favorites with him?  Who knew that we would learn to communicate even better by working on this together?  Who knew that something that was so hard for him in the beginning would become something that he loves so much?  Who knew that when he did learn to write that he would do it so very well?  Who knew that his interpretation of things that have happened in our past would make me smile so big?  Who knew that I would love watching him do it so much?  Obviously not me, but this is one surprise that I'm happy to throw my arms around and hold onto forever because who knows where this will take him in life, and who knows what he will become?  Again, not me.  The one thing I do know is that I will always support him when he sets goals, and I will always help him in whatever way I can to get him there, and I know for certain that I will always love him as hard as I do now.  Our days spent here by the fire writing masterpieces together will always be locked up safe in my heart, and I hope that I have a lot more "who knew" moments because this is one of the best surprises I've ever had.

Chasing the Light

I've been spending lots of time taking care of my home and helping my parents out lately.  I haven't taken a lot of pictures, but over the weekend I noticed the evening light.  I quickly ran inside to grab my camera to capture a slice of it, and as fast as I made it inside and back out, the light was all but gone.  I was literally chasing the light.  I was running for this one, and although I didn't get the image I had in mind, it still turned out beautiful.  Chasing the light is a good way to spend my time with or without my camera in hand.  It helps me create the prettiest pictures, and finding the light in my day to day life always ensures that I'm in the right places doing the right things.  It's a picture I love living in, and I'm learning to train my eye to find the light more often.  It's where the happiness is.

Our Day of Love

Valentine's Day is one of our favorites at the Smith house.  We have been celebrating the same tradition for the past 10 years or so.  We celebrate Valentine's Day at home with the hooligans.  It starts with candlelight dinner.  It's always pork chops and rice because it's their very favorite.  We did stray away from the original dinner on one instance because of the hectic day, but other than that it's always been pork chops and rice.  Last year the girls wanted to participate more, so they made up menus and table decorations.  We saved them for use again this year.  Pulling them out of the sack made me smile.  I had forgotten how hard they worked on all the details.  The table was beautiful once again this year when they were done decorating.  Anyway, back to our tradition.  We eat our lovely dinner after the girls act as waitresses, take our individual orders, and then happily serve us. They even broke out the shiny silver trays for this part this year.  We drink our favorite bubbly drinks in champagne glasses which we all clink together, and we talk about what happened during our Valentine day.  Once dinner is complete dessert is served.  Although dinner is always a constant as far as content goes, dessert is not.  This year we had chocolate covered strawberries that Grandma Rue hand-dipped for us.  They were delicious.  After dessert our party moves downstairs.  We all find our way to the soft sounds of Kenny G and Celine Dion which of course have been playing throughout our meal and we dance.  The girls take turns dancing with their dad, and I dance with my little man.  This year the dance floor was decorated with balloons thanks to Doop.  He just could not wait for the evening to arrive.  Of course the slow dancing turned into a faster pace when we kicked things up a notch with our favorite '80's tunes.  I don't think I would have changed a thing from this day.  It was fabulous!

Stillness

"I am not a human being.  I am a human becoming." -Author Unknown

In the stillness I can feel myself becoming.  Becoming the person I am meant to be.  I feel my heart fill with peace when I choose to be in places where I can make the biggest difference.  Like when I sit next to my daughter in the soft evening light helping her with her homework, or when I meet my little man at the bus stop when he happily jumps from his big yellow ride to race me home so we can play.  I feel that difference when I stand next to my girl in the gym to give as much support as I can to her while she works hard chasing a dream that I hope with all my heart she someday catches.  In the stillness I feel myself connecting to a place and time that I have waited for so long to be in, and in the stillness I feel myself making a mark.  I am making a mark in the place I hope I am always remembered with the people that I love the most.  No trophy, award, or hall of fame could compare to the worth of the memories I will create with my hooligans, best friend and family, and in the stillness I feel that happening.  In the stillness I am making connections that are priceless.  In the stillness I am becoming.

Dreaming

"We create our tomorrows by what we dream today."

My boy is dreaming of owning a snowmobile.  Kind of funny since he has never ridden one before, and this is the mildest winter we have experienced in a very long time.  He is determined though, and so we have been spending oodles of time collecting cans on the side of the road.  He has even solicited help from two of his Grandma's neighbors.  They are all hoping to see his dream come true.  It may take a while, but at this rate I think he might actually make it.  It's a good lesson in dreaming and the hard work that it takes to make them come true, and I'm proud to support him in that.  In fact, the whole family is proud to support him in that as well as a few people he doesn't even know.  He has found loads of support in his Grandma, and this has become their mission together.  I love witnessing that.  It just makes this dream of his even better.  That's the beauty of dreaming. It's contagious!

Taking Chances

I've been practicing sticking my neck out.  Making changes.  Taking chances.  Stepping outside of my comfort zone.  It is scary.  It is not like me, but it is oh so good.  This quote sums it up perfectly.  "Why not go out on a limb?  Isn't that where the fruit is?"- Frank Scully

Familiarity

I have really been focusing on my one little word for 2012.  I have lots of changes happening, and a few more in the planning stages.  I am really learning to have courage and embrace change completely.  That being said, it is so far out of my comfort zone that every once in a while I need a bit of familiarity.  I find myself gravitating to places that I'm rooted to.  Places that stir comfortable images in my mind and places that just feel safe.  Last week on a warm evening I trudged through the slush and snow to visit one of my favorite places.  The old red barn that I used to spend so much time in when I was young sits right behind my parents home.  It has changed over time, but the way I feel when I visit has not.  It's one of those places that I can stand in and feel peace.  It overwhelms me every time.  It plays such a huge role in the memories of my childhood.  The old leather bridals, the pitchforks and lead ropes, and the smell of the saddles in the tack room spur something inside of me.  I can't remember a bad moment in the barn.  I can't remember a time when I didn't look forward to being there right next to my dad.  He doesn't have the opportunity to visit here that often anymore, but I do and each time I do it stirs my heart and brings a smile to my face.  I know my dad has those same feelings when he visits and because he doesn't have that choice anymore, I took these images for him.  He patiently waited inside while I visited the red barn that he worked so hard to build and keep nice, and I snapped these images so I could run back inside and show him that not much has changed there.  It's not quite the same as visiting in person, but the same smile that it brought me crept into his face when he looked at what I captured in my camera.  On this day he needed to feel that same familiarity that I did.  I'm glad I could share it with him.