yesterday may have been the busiest day i've had in awhile, and it was completely wonderful at the same time.
brings to mind the fact that i've got so many supportive people around me, and that they, always, are worth every ounce of my energy.
the last four weeks have been exhausting. five babies delivered, getting the family healthy, preparing to transition my practice to electronic medical records, jay beginning a new job and quickly being promoted to full-time status. all of these wonderful things that i'm so completely grateful for. and all of these making the selfish part of me yearn for a day to relax and recuperate.
yesterday was not the day for that. but it was a day that i've been looking forward to for a long, long time.
we finally had our family easter gathering. every year, we gather at my stepbrother andy's house, and they throw out about 200 eggs for 15 kids to find. some are quite obvious, mostly for the younger kids, and others are quite difficult to get to (hidden in trees, on the windmill in their yard, in downspouts on the house). the age range of the kids is currently 8 months to 18 years old. and it is always a ball. we've seen our share of weather extremes, too, from yesterday's bone-chilling cold/wind/rain, to a couple of years ago where we all wore shorts. we eat, we talk, we drink coffee, we hunt eggs, and above all, we all giggle. as exhausting as i know that is for andy and shannon, and as exhausting as it is to corral all those children, it's a sense of family and belonging that draws us all back. it's the laughter, the story-telling, the discussions, the common-ness that we all feel together with each other that draws us back, year after year. yesterday was no different, and as much as i wanted to crawl back into bed after the last four weeks of bone-weary-ness, i looked forward to this for so long.
last evening, we were lucky enough to partake in a birthday celebration for the child of our closest friends. bob and veronica are probably two of my favorite people on the planet that are not blood relation to us. jay and bob have been friends for years....close to 15 years, i'd guess. veronica is his wife, and they've been married for about 2 years or so. they have a 7 year old son, jake, and when jake and piper are together, they are thick as thieves. it was his birthday we were celebrating. they also have a son, lucas, who is two years to-the-day younger than dade. bob and veronica planned a birthday party including laser tag, which was the coolest thing i think we've ever done for a birthday party. we had to tell a small lie, that dade was 5 years old instead of 4, so that he could partake. but it was a blast! we all played, and laughed, and giggled, and were utterly sweating and euphoric afterwards. and piper stayed the night with them, her first sleepover with someone that wasn't family. jay and i went over to bob and veronica's house for quite awhile, listening to the kids chaotic energy as they ran through the house and spread popcorn crumbs all over, and i think we all cherished the paths in our lives that have led us to this point.
i sort of look at it like this.....the Big Guy Upstairs truly knows what we all need to soften and fill our souls. as selfish as i wanted to be yesterday, to curl up in sweatpants in front of the TV with my crochet project, it wasn't in the cards for yesterday. instead, it was the camaraderie with family, friends that my soul craved. it was everything i didn't know i really needed. to see and talk and hug almost everyone in my life that means something to me, all in one day, was a reminder that it's the support of these people that makes life and everything in it worth all the work, the effort, the sacrifice. just as the queen bee of a hive rules the roost, God guides us and directs toward the greater good, toward benefit that we'll all reap. and all of us, the worker bees, work and strive to better the hive, always returning with our gifts and contributions toward the rest of the bees, our support. the things we contribute make the entire hive a prosperous community, where we rely on each other for our skills, our gifts, our support. and whilst we're working, we hopefully gather things that will support each other, smell some pretty sweet flowers along the way, and always have a safe place to return to with each other. we're never alone, and the goal is always simple. return to the place where you're safe, with each other, and remember that we're all in this together.
"many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."
proverbs 19:21
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