A Saturday Afternoon in the Spring

Expectations. A wise man once said that they are the enemy of gratefulness.  I have been trying for many years to lay them aside and choose gratefulness. I had another opportunity today.

Our first 9 kids played every sport in season. Swim team in summer was followed by soccer and basketball and baseball. We watched all of their games which must have numbered in the thousands. They also took music lessons (violin, piano, flute), played in an orchestra and took dancing lessons (Camila danced with a company in SC that toured Israel). But the biggest focus was always on sports.

I was not sad to have to those sports watching days over. I said many times that if I had it to do over again, I would focus a lot more on the music lessons and a lot less on the sports.  Of course, I never expected to get the opportunity to do it again. And when I did it was with Asian children.  I fully expected hours listening to classical music and expanding from violin to cello lessons.

I certainly never expected to spend my afternoons at a soccer field again. Or a baseball field.  Or a gymnastics studio.

But that is where we spent this afternoon. (Jed scored 2 goals and Dominic and Simon 1 each. Their team won. Ric's team lost. We took flipflops to Peyton and Cydni's birthday at the gymnastics studio, instead of presents, to send to Haiti.)

So. I am grateful for a beautiful sunshiny day and kids who love sports.    Tomorrow I will be back at the field, grateful again.

 

Chickens

When Dominic asked why everyone we knew was getting baby chicks I thought he might have an ulterior motive.  Because everyone we know is certainly Not getting baby chicks.  Jerry wasn't home or that might have been the end of the conversation.   I asked if anyone in our family wanted to take care of baby chicks.  I explained that there would be a lot of work involved.  I asked for a show of hands.  Five raised hands.  Andy looked around, and apparently feeling like he got the answer wrong, began to raise his.  I assured him that it was not a bad choice to keep his hand down.

After lunch we went to visit Ric's mom's baby chicks.  Andy asked if he could change his mind.  The tractor supply store was on the way home.  They each got to choose two baby chicks.  If there is a rule about holding babies too much they have broken it.  The next four hours were spent holding/ training the chicks.  Simon began training his to jump.  Andy noticed that they didn't seem to understand the word 'jump'.  When I explained that they didn't speak English because they are chickens, Simon said, 'Oh.  Yah.'  He is 12.  I guess he can relate to not understanding English.

I think we got another little glimpse into Simon's past later that day.  He told Ariel that when he grew up he was going to buy two dogs and train them to fight each other.  She assured him that he would then go to jail charged with animal cruelty.  He said, 'What about chickens?'  "No, you would go to jail for having chicken fights, too."   Simon thanked her for telling him.     It is definitely a different world and they are working hard at figuring it out.   So different, in fact, that chickens understanding English doesn't seem like such a stretch.