Sunshine Moments For When The Storms Come

Early Saturday morning, the husband called me with a request to bring him an item or two he had forgotten for a job he was doing. Without checking in on the sleeping kids, I slipped out the door, loaded the van, and headed his way only to see him with another guy that I didn't know. They both had their backs to me as they sat huddled together on a twenty-foot lift working with some kind of paint or spackling compound or something. I had no idea who the other guy in blue coveralls and a ball cap could be. Even as they turned around and waved, I was still clueless. It wasn't until the other guy gave me a double thumbs-up sign that I knew who he was. My son. The second born. Working with his dad and the both of them smiling. There was a time when those two butted heads and butted them often. I cannot express how much joy that gave me in that moment seeing the two of them together.

Later in the day, the daughter and I went out for a little random shopping and lots of laughs. I so enjoyed the day with her that I took her out again the next day. You have to understand, things like this just don't happen in our house. Money is always so tight; there's always something else that is so needed... for crying out loud, even I grow weary of how many times I have to tell her no to something. But this weekend, I made it a point to say yes often and you know what? It really didn't cost me that much. We had a good time. In fact, we were having such a good time that I ended up saying I would go to an exercise class with her. Tonight. Good Lord. This child is going to be more than entertained by watching her mother in some nonsense call jazzercise. If I never blog again, you'll understand my body went down due to extreme shock.

For now, though, the sun is shining and the day is pleasant. I came home from work to find father and (oldest) son working in the backyard. One had his head buried in the hood of an old Ford truck and the other had an intense look while working on his motorcycle. I can still hear them both laughing about something or other through the cracked window above my kitchen sink. The washing machine is humming. The cats are chasing each other. The world just seems right. Even though I have so many questions about so many things going on in my life right now, I can honestly say- that in this moment, that all of them are irrelevant. There is nothing that could possibly take precedence over a family who is actually getting along and liking each other. That's a pretty big deal no matter who you are or where you live.

And if you know anything about me at all, you'll know that I take moments like these and hold on tight. My mind snaps a picture and simultaneously records the laughter. Though trouble will eventually come, the good hangs in there and outlasts the storm.

Thank God for moments of sunshine. =)