panoply
It felt like the aftermath of my first race. It was only a 5K and I remember afterward with Aaron, rehashing every detail of my physical and motivational state at each stage of the race. He had been (and still is) involved in athletic competition on a nearly continuous basis ever since he was little, and the race to him was small potatoes, but to me it was new and exciting. I wanted to talk about it, process it, connect with my friend through it. It was significant.
Yesterday morning was like that. Diane and I (on Mother’s Day, of all days) had nursery duty during the second service at church, having in our care six rambunctious two-year-olds, one of them Luke. I hadn’t ever watched a group of kids close to that age, or even babysat. I have to say, in spite of the fact that Luke got a bit jealous that I had to divert attention away from him alone, to the other boy in the group and also the girls, it was a lot of fun. But afterward, I talked about much of what I had learned through the new experience, while Diane (from what I could tell) had a more seasoned response.
This is not a bad thing by any means. It fits well into my burgeoning experience with kids. The things I think are a big deal (like watching kids for an hour), more often than not aren’t, and the things that seem trivial in my mind (getting Luke in and out of the car, etc) are more significant than I think they are to those around me: The pleasant collision between expectations and reality. Theory and conjecture become experience and life.
* * * * * *
Took my parents for plane rides on Saturday afternoon. My dad went up with me first, followed by my mom. I have to say I was surprised my mom enjoyed the experience more thoroughly than my dad did. I could have picked a better day–there was a lot of convection, leading to a somewhat bumpy ride, and the wind was around 15 mph blowing down the runway by the time I landed. But both landings were right on the money, smooth and soft in spite of the wind, and we had a good time of sightseeing while in the air. They are so supportive and encouraging. I’m blessed in that regard, among others.
Various small, spinning satelites yesterday…
too bad we got pulled over by the bye-bye buggy patrol. You were hilarious. They loved you. But, never again suggest that I have seven of them. Never, never again. ;o)
lol
Yes, we were like a binary star with a multi-planetary system (some with eccentric orbits).
About getting pulled over… Whew. I’m just glad we got off with a warning… I didn’t even have to turn on the waterworks.
But, but…seven is the number of completeness. They even said so from the pulpit :)
buggy patrol
OK, now I’m just real curious about the story behind this. Were there blue buggy lights involved too?
Sounds like y’all had a good time. Can that be possible with seven two year olds? Guess you guys are the best judges of that. I enjoy your (Diane’s included) blogs even if I fail to comment often. :)
~ Meredith
Re: buggy patrol
“Can that be possible with seven two year olds”
haha…terrifying thought. It was just something he said in the service as the Pastor was honoring the oldest and most, er, prolific woman. The winner had seven children. Yikes!
You read my rambling LJ, Meredith? Defintely comment when you can. I’d love to hear from you. Doing well?
Re: buggy patrol
OH! I love Mother’s Day at Calvary. I hate that I missed it. I always love seeing the oldest mother and finding out how many kids the winner of the “mother with the most children” has.
And yes, I do read your LJ and enjoy it. I found it off M’s page (obviously).
I’m doing real well. You know I moved, right? I’ll shoot you an email real soon and catch you up some more.