Sometimes I Write

After the deep thoughts of my last post, I want to skim a little closer to the surface for a minute. Here are some sweet thoughts on a sunny Saturday morning. (O.K. they aren’t all sweet.)

I have a new rock collection. Zoe thinks that every rock she brings in from outside is a special treasure meant just for me. Her sweet little girly girl smile complete with dimples melts my heart and I graciously accept her gifts. As my new collection continues to grow, I think about my other rock collection. A few years ago when Benny went on Trek, he brought me a heart shaped rock for every year we had been married. They varied in size and shape, but ALL had a heart like quality. I love them! A few weeks ago he took Max climbing on Grandma’s mountain (behind the house) and Max brought me back his first heart shaped rock. He was so excited as he placed it in my hand and told me all about it. Am I blessed or what??? If you visit our home in Denver, you will see my proud display of both collections. It makes you think about what makes a treasure a treasure, doesn’t it?

That same little girly girl was caught feeding her baby brother a spoon full of rocky dirt. When we asked why she was doing that, she said it was the ice cream she made, and asked me if I wanted some too. 🙂 Meanwhile Pete was happily shoveling it in his mouth and grinning. The story takes a terrible turn. We keep a bag outside for stinky diapers, which seems to be plentiful these past few days. Pete got it open and found his latest contribution. Let’s just say I’ve never been so grossed out, and that’s big for a woman who has caught newborn poopy in her hand to save a clean diaper…don’t ask…I was delirious from lack of sleep. As Pete would say in his 15 month old English…GUCKY!!!

(My family continues to be my biggest source of entertainment.)

I was reading my latest copy of U.S. News & World Report this morning and came across a blurb for an article. It was titled, “What I did on my multi-purpose summer vacation” followed by this blurb: Multi-tasking kids can find a program for every possible combination of interests; do-gooders can volunteer as far away as India. But take note: Even a fantastic experience may not impress college admissions officers. Wasn’t that encouraging? (Sarcastic ahem) I read the article by Diane Cole and was a little irritated at her approach at teens in general. Under a picture of teens carrying logs, the tagline reads, “Teen Paradox: At home they are too tired to pick up their room. On Landmark Volunteer programs, they measure joists and clear trails.” It was an interesting article, but I ‘m a little in your face about teen issues, and I could care less how volunteering and its details will look on college applications. I agree with the high school guidance counselor quoted in the article, “Do it because you believe in it.” I will never encourage a kid to volunteer because it looks good on an application. Can they really learn the lessons that come with volunteering when their focus is impressing others? Hmmm…
It did offer a link that helps teens find volunteer opportunities close to home. I haven’t checked it out yet, but here it is: www.networkforgood.org

Well, my treadmill, the laundry, and hungry, playing children are calling to me. Happy Saturday!