These are the days when the porch is open again, when I get up eager for the sunrise, sipping my coffee and watching the beauty while the birds sing and the leaves open slowly. I still marvel: do we really get to live here? My potted flowers seem as happy as I am every morning, and I love checking on all the veggies growing in the raised beds we installed this year.
I am glad we have a huge driveway at this house. Current vehicle count-8! The van, BZ, and Nana’s old Lexus for us, Agnes’s Fit, Marcus’s Saturn and Audi TT (Purchased from Seth), Eldon’s 4Runner, Peter’s Rav4. These are the days when everyone needs Josh for something. He comes home from work to a slew of projects related to all the cars and the house, too. “Dad, can we order parts?” “Dad, can you listen to my car?” “Dad, can you help me with taxes?”
Campfire season, Eldon pulls his car around so he can sit in the back, with his best dog or his best girl, depending on who is here. Peter brings his guitar out and he’s easing into his voice; sometimes the girls sing with him. “The girls” have become a regular part of our lives; who would have thought my youngest two would find lovely Lutheran sisters, and fall in love, in our very first year here!
These are the days of night walks; teens opening up in the safety of darkness and the gentle embrace of the fields at night. We can see so many stars here, and it’s magical how the lightning bugs look like ascending sparks over the grass.
Marcus comes home looking like he’s been sweeping chimneys, but he’s been changing tires instead. He’s getting fit, confident, and finding his people. Some days he runs out of patience with people, and when I see him filthy and bedraggled with that look on his face, I know he’ll be hiding for the rest of the night. I love our coffee dates to Scooters and Silver Lake.
These are the days when my college girl is home; there are more blankets and craft supplies hanging around, the milk disappears much faster! I love to watch her pull into the driveway, rocking out to her loud music after a long day of babysitting. She comes home full of stories, and she loves the challenge of not only watching 4 kids all summer but also teaching them things along the way. She misses her college friends; she has long evening phone calls and I hear her laughing on the porch! She is motivated to work hard all summer so she can go back to Wyoming in August. She sometimes asks us, “So what are we doing tonight?” as we finish dinner at 7:30pm.. apparently for a college kid the night is just starting, but I’m ready to put on my PJs by then!
These are the days of technology boundaries, and enough open time where boredom can happen. (You’re welcome, boys.) We’ve enjoyed puzzles, blitz, cribbage, rummy, and just sitting around in the quiet. Peter is reading “Surprised by Joy” by CS Lewis and I love talking to him about it. Big conversations about all the Big Things in life are pretty normal around here, and it just my favorite.
These are the days of heart-filling visits and long phone calls with my married kids. Seth and Ava visited last weekend, and it seems like we spent almost the whole time belly laughing on the porch. Yesterday, Lorraine and I broke our phone call record (3 hours!) chatting while I swung in my hammock, cleaned my house, and watched the rain fall from my porch.
These are the days of margin, open spaces, and watching the kids spread their wings. On Monday I drank my coffee and watched the sunrise while every one of my kids got themselves ready and drove off to work, all before 7:30am. Then I got in the passenger seat while Peter drove to his landscaping job- legally he needs me by his side for now.
I’ll happily claim my seat there, while I can.
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