Monday, June 21, 2010

Clapping for Emus...and other stories


We are in the midst of what feels like chaos. Our new house has the bathroom torn apart, some of the flooring torn up, the paneling taken off the walls, and a giant bookshelf removed (which revealed a need for new dry wall behind it). The house we're renting is filled with boxes. We discovered that our floor has asbestos in it, which is going to require some intentional care and caution to remove. And we need to get the electrical upgraded. We can't move in until the floors are done, nor can we move forward with any other projects until they're done. In a little over a week from today, we are supposed to move in. In the meantime, Laurel's first birthday is tomorrow, and Jon's family is all coming into town later this week to celebrate (and help us move). Oh, right, and I am marrying a couple in less than two weeks.

So, needless to say, there is plenty of opportunity to feel overwhelmed. And, believe me, I have had those moments.

But this past weekend we packed and moved boxes in between some family time. On Saturday morning we went to Wild Earth Bakery. This bakery has been a favorite of ours, but we hadn't been since they remodeled. If you live in Edmonton, you need to check out the renovations--it is such a great space (and we even found a place to sit on a Saturday morning, which used to be unheard of). And please, try their white chocolate raspberry scones.

On Sunday we celebrated Father's Day by taking a trip to the zoo. Laurel had her first taste of ice cream (she seemed to be a fan) and loved watching the animals. We sat in front the emus for a while. From my perspective, they are not as fun to watch as the monkeys, nor are they as impressive as the tigers. But Laurel loved them. She clapped and clapped for them. And as we were sitting there, watching her clap, I was struck by the goodness of my life. Right there by the emus, I had a moment of gratitude.


No comments: