The Flow

Something great about finding myself back into the throws of routine, is the weekend. No meetings or appointments, no expectations outside of family life. It is so nice to get that break at the end of the week.

I absolutely love days when we have nothing planned. A "go with the flow" kind of day can lead us anywhere really. We sometimes find ourselves working in the yard, baking in the kitchen, catching a good movie . . . but none of it is planned. Today we are going to spend some time with my favorite pair, Jodie and Curt. On our loosely planned agenda we've got a volley ball game on tap, along with enchiladas and Jodie's famous chocolate chip cookies. : )

I think back to the "good ol' days", when getting together with them seemed so much simpler. Back before any of us had kids, we would make a spur of the moment decision to gather for a good game or Rook or dinner out at Chili's. We wouldn't think twice to drive a half an hour to get to our favorite restaurant, and spend the entire day doing it. We didn't have to worry about soccer practice, helping with homework or an occasional discipline problem. We were young, and well, in a lot of ways stupid (I speak for myself of course).

Nowadays, I can't even tell you how many times we have tried to re-live those memories. These days, we will make plans to meet at one of our houses, with hopes of watching a movie or playing some cards. It never fails - the shuffling of little feet and continuous demands destroy our plans every time. All we can really do is laugh about it. This is a season, and I'm sure that someday when we are old and gray, we will get those uninterrupted moments of saying "red is trump and JoJo is my partner".

We share so much history with Jodie and Curt, or should I say Codie and Jerk (he he). It has been such a blessing watching all of our kids grow together, and even more, watching one another change and mature. Having family land in the same town is truly a dream come true.

With God's perspective, we can see that those little stinkers who are interrupting us today, are a manifestation of what we dreamed up all those years ago. Back in the day, we would sit at that glass table of Jodie's with pregnant tummies and a head full of dreams. We would talk about . . . what did we used to talk about before the kids? Did life even exist?

Movies, card games - honestly, who needs them? Life is about going with the flow . . . and right now "the flow" means family.