for liz

Liz:  I didn't want my comment to be longer than your post, so I put it here.  Thanks.

I woke up this morning to blue skies and a bright glow of sunlight, the kind worthy of that old song the Brady children sang when they're trying to win enough money for their parents' anniversary gift.  I think Marcia starts off by singing, "I think I'll go for a walk outside now; the summer sun's calling my name...."  Well yeah, that kind of day.   But nothing halts the those good vibrations better than Monday mornings where children scream to the sound of alarm clocks and even to mommy's soft nudges.  Picking battles is the name of the game until we are out the door  by 7:55.

Yesterday, after a particularly hard day of parenting a sassy pre-teen, I told Zoe that she has the choice to be happy.  It's much easier that way.  Less energy.  Less stress.  And the wonderful by-product is feeling good.  Ironically, this morning, after dealing with the kids and recalling the less pleasant moments of the weekend, I wanted to choose cranky, but I read your blog, and your words redirected me to choose forgiveness over resentment, gratitude over entitlement, happy over mad.  I thought of how we talked about how ultimately our decisions, big and small, are often led by what we generally prioritize in life.  I'm glad you chose what you did regarding the workshop.  I'm proud of you.  I am once again reminded to enjoy the ride, and hopefully my goal of raising not just good adults, but happy, well-adjusted, balanced children will come into fruition.  Thanks.