Blessings of the Week - vol. 20

The Labor Day Weekend (already?!?!?!?) edition:

-1-

The Weather. The weather we've had this summer has, in general, been absolutely wonderful. We had two miserably hot weeks in June, but otherwise, we've been unseasonably cool all summer. Which means much less pool time than usual, but I'll take that tradeoff when we are doing school in the school room (usually the hottest room in the house), while the cool breezes blow our papers everywhere. Not to mention, the electric bill is much lower than it's been during the summer in years. That's a big blessing!

-2-

Retreat Planning is (nearly) done. The retreat I've been working on for months is next weekend. (I know... next weekend!) A few weeks ago, the lack of time I've spent on it was starting to stress me out. Then, I had a nice weekend at the Hermitages and got some work done. I had planned to get back to it with "fresh eyes" last week, but that didn't happen. So, this week, faced with the calendar inching ever closer, I pushed retreat planning to the top of my list. And, praise be to God, it's gone very smoothly. The two sessions that felt disjointed have come together nicely, and I am finding myself getting really excited as the time gets ever closer.

-3-

Getting back on the Bike Trail. This week, we've gone biking on the trail twice. It's been months since we've loaded up the bikes and headed over to the trail, and everyone was anxious to get going again. It's such a blessing to watch the kids growing and changing. BigBro has a new bike now, having outgrown his first "real" bike. He takes off, and from behind, looks like such a kid to me. Gone is my baby boy there. Princess is a Tortoise when she bikes... by that I mean, she's slow, steady, and enjoying the view. She won't be rushed, thank you very much. It's just too pleasant to bike along at a nice, even pace. LilBro, on the other hand, is the Hare. He zooms as fast as he can, then slams on the brake, and hops off the bike to explore the woods, to chase a critter, or to (try to) sneak over to the creek.

And I bring up the rear, coasting more than actually biking, as I try to keep all three in my sight at all times. BigBro is dying to get on the trail with just me, so we can really let loose and go. I'm looking forward to that, too. But, I also really love coasting along behind. It's a real blessing for me to have this time to slow down and watch them growing and changing.

*****

And you? In what ways have you been blessed this week?