what i've got

I've talked about it here, in my column and other places I write:  you must love what you've got.  I really believe that it's the secret to life.  That being said, life doesn't always make it easy.  We all have constant curve balls coming our way, making our vision blurry and our thoughts collide.  But then something, anything, sets us straight again on the path we're meant to be.  For me, that path is loving what I've got.

The more time I spend with my family; wait - the more unencumbered time I spend with my family - the easier it is to stay on the path.  This weekend, even with holiday busyness, we had some time to just hang out and be a family.  For me these truly are the best of times.  And yes, the kids argued about silly things.  One threw a fit when a playroom sleepover was abruptly terminated.  Another fought the first of two annual attempts to get the child to wear clothing other than sweats.  The third stomped and sighed in shock when we had the audacity to request bed-making and wet towel pick up.  They're kids.

They're kids that frustrate me at times and push my buttons like no other humans could.  They're kids that shock me in both good and bad ways.  They're kids that make me cry hard and laugh harder.  They're kids for which I worry tirelessly, pray so hard and dream beyond imagination.  They make me beam with pride and ache with exhaustion.  They are our kids and for all their human faults, man do they deliver on joy.  Seeing them this weekend, dressed in their Sunday best and making me proud at every turn, I realized that all that matters is right now and loving right now.

I surely do love what I've got.