Anticipation

Last Friday, as we were cleaning up and preparing for a house full for the weekend, the kids kept telling me, "Relax, Mom, breathe.  It's just family coming!"  Of course I knew that, but it got me thinking.  I don't clean and bake and prepare to show off my skills or my house or my wonderful organizational abilities.  Hah!   They all know me much better than that, I'm afraid.  No, I work to burn off the energy of anticipation, eagerly looking forward to having their faces around our table once again, listening to their banter and their goals and the steps they are all taking toward living their own full lives.

When I pick up and clean and vacuum and bake, it is to make a fresh welcome for them.  A clear table for games and meals and talk.  Room for the fun. Sixteen chairs gathered around the table this weekend to eat together and laugh.  The time I spend in preparation is like readying a clean canvas in order to sketch and paint our family's lives and days together.  A rare treat now that the older ones are spread around the country.
By having everything ready before they arrive, I can relax and breathe and really enjoy our time together. The kids did remind me, though, to be sure not to miss the time I do have with those still here at home, to appreciate and anticipate each ordinary day that I have with them, now, before they all grow up and move on in life.

weekend puzzle project