CELEBRATION SATURDAY

Ruth Ayres started "Celebrate This Week" about two months ago, as a way of helping people remember all the rich blessings of their week. This week I'm celebrating these two…

I'm celebrating successful navigation through the airport

and a safe trip home from Arizona.

(ok, so there was that one phone call about how you get from Terminal 3 to Terminal 4 

in the Phoenix airport, but they found the shuttle and so we will just ignore it).

Should I mention that they are so grown up 

that I hardly recognized the two young men coming toward me

across the airport?

I'm celebrating 

sitting in the back seat

all weekend 

listening to my two guys

best friends talking about 

football and music and girlfriends and life

reconnecting 

This week

I'm celebrating 

that for the first time in several years

both boys both accompanied me to my sister's house

for a holiday dinner with my sister and her family and my mom.

Holidays have not always held happy memories for my guys

and they often refuse to participate or withdraw

but this year they went without protests, 

and sat at the table all the way through dessert,

and even conversed a little.

I'm celebrating the growth and healing 

that has taken place

over the last ten years. 

This week

I'm celebrating

a three hour math tutoring session

with one son

School is hard for him

and he probably is not going to pass algebra

again this semester

I'm celebrating his perseverance

his willingness

to try again and again

that huge old heart

that hasn't given up

after two years

the dreams that keep him

in school 

when it would be so much easier 

just to quit. 

I'm celebrating

 that my guys

are trying to overcome past mistakes

and  make better choices

it's hard at home

where many of their friends 

expect them to participate 

in the same poor choices

that they used to make

my boys committed to each other

that they were not going to do those things

last night they went out together

split up and somehow got separated

had a heated phone conversation

a two hour raised voice discussion at home

I listened from my bedroom

as they pounded the table 

and discussed and reconciled

I'm celebrating their commitment

and huge loyalty

to each other. 

This week

I'm celebrating

growth toward adulthood.

More thank you's,

and "Can I carry that for you?"

and cleaning up after themselves

and getting up at a reasonable time

and being ready for things

when I ask them to be ready 

Even a few unprompted "I love you's."

This week I'm celebrating 

the privilege

of being a mom.