Earlier this week, I wrote about two major milestones our family has undergone. And, while there has been an underlying element of grief throughout my life for the past couple weeks, as I prepared for these adjustments, my life has not come to a halt because of these changes.
In fact, the hectic nature of my life ramped up!
It astounds me how sometimes, old habits can be picked up right where they seemed to leave off. Years ago, before grad school, I was a housemother in a children’s home. This state-licensed facility was a home-away-from-home for kids whose parents couldn’t take care of their children for one reason or another. There were some children whose parents had died; others whose parents were too addicted to drugs or alcohol to care for anyone. The common thread, though, among the children, is that they were not living at home due to their parents – the kids were the blameless party.
Because it was a state-licensed facility, the state had some say in the meals prepared for the children. They only allowed cold breakfast to be served to the children twice a week; the rest of the time, breakfast had to be hot… well-rounded, but hot. Which usually meant the housemothers were up around 30 minutes prior to the first child.
As my son started PreK, I have found myself slipping back into that mentality while I was a housemother… wake up thirty minutes prior to make a healthy breakfast for my son. Furthermore, knowing the menu at school, and the pickiness of my son’s palate, if I can feed him a protein-laden meal at the beginning of the day, then perhaps he won’t be starving by the time I pick him up in the afternoon.
So, mornings are coming earlier than I’m used to seeing them – and, that is not a complaint!
However, our family is also down to one vehicle. This means before dropping my son off for school, we drop my husband off at work. Then, I’m on the hook if my husband needs a ride during the workday, and he has to sit tight if his desire for a ride competes with the time our son needs to be picked up. So, my daughter and I have spent a lot of time in the car this week. And, I will say, it has been an adventure.
An adventure which brings me to this week’s Gratitude Project post.
This week, I am grateful for the extra time we have been “forced” to spend as a family. While it might eat a chunk of my day, put unwanted miles on the car, and force us to be at the “beck and call” of others, knowing we get to spend a few extra, cherished moments together as a family has been heartwarming.
Granted, one week in and I already don’t take full advantage of the extra time – the ride in to dropping my husband off at work usually leads to him sitting next to a snoring wife, desperate to get “one more minute,” of sleep.
But, it is still time to mentally prepare and focus for a day of work… together.
It is still a time to mentally unwind and relax from a day of work… together.
We know we won’t be able to keep this tempo going – the miles alone on the car have been staggering. However, the early morning rising, the shuttling to work, to school, to home, then reversing the order of pick-up has afforded my family extra time together.
And, I am grateful for the extra time.
How about you? What is your moment of gratitude this week? Let me know in the comments, or link up by using #bctgp (it stands for Beautiful Camouflage The Gratitude Project)!
Until next week, dear reader…