I miss her.
Our pets become so engrained in our lives, in our hearts. And I am reminded of that every day with Piper--our 23 pound Cockapoo. He's quite a character--a good little dog who has wormed his way in to all of our lives. But today I took him to the soccer field. When we were walking back home, I took him off the leash and off he ran--bounding and bouncing and flying across the yard. I'm not sure what he's chasing--actually I don't think he even knows what he is chasing. But he represents absolute joy: free, unabashed joy.
And every single day--watching Piper enjoy every moment, fully present and alive...I am inspired. I want that for my life. I want to embrace each moment and be fully present for those in my life--my husband, my kids, my friends, my students...my God. I want to experience life abundantly. And I was reminded of that today as I watched Piper do exactly that.
Another 'moment' that comes to mind that brought me joy today was in regards to Jace and my friend Yvette. I intended to take Jace trick-or-treating at the Manor this evening--the nursing home that's right next door. But then I realized I had a meeting this evening so I asked Darian if she could take him instead. She readily agreed...but then this afternoon she remembered that she had an SAT study session at the same time as my meeting. She was quick to say that she would skip the study session of course because...well...that's just the way she is...but of course that wasn't an option in my mind. So I thought of Yvette.
Yvette is Harrison and Alex's mom--Jace's very good buddies. And she is one busy mama. She works full-time and goes to school full-time as well so there isn't much spare time in her world. But the boys told me that she was taking them trick or treating so I thought--since I was feeling a bit desperate--that maybe, possibly, she would let Jace tag along. When I called her, she quickly said, "Absolutely! My kids will love having Jace!" And so off he went--Yvette, her four kids, and mine--all piling into her van and happy as can be.
She called me at 9:00 to tell me that they were having car trouble and stuck at Ingall's by the Biltmore Mall just as we were leaving to pick Jace up at her house. So we zipped over to the mall instead and there she was--waiting with a friend who came to the rescue. But here's the thing that I found so astounding: Yvette was happy, totally relaxed--not even slightly stressed. And when Jace scooted into the car, she looked at me, and in all sincerity said, "Any time you need me to take Jace, please let me know. Any. Time. We sure enjoy having him."
So this friend of mine who most likely has no time for herself? Her genorous, thoughtful spirit gave me all kinds of joy today.
And the other thing that gives me joy? A full refrigerator. A stocked pantry. We went to Sam's Club today and came home with enough salad and canned tomatoes and toilet paper and bread and tortillas and--lots more--to last the month. Sometimes finances can be stressful and budgets can be tricky. But the truth of the matter is, we have everything we need.
And so much more.
And utimately, that's the stuff that joy is made of.
“If the stars should appear but one night every thousand years how man would marvel and adore.”
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