Alignment

On Friday night, we attended a dance event at Alex's school. Each grade level learns a particular dance (Alex's was the shuffle) and then they take turns performing. Naturally there's a lot of other dancing; the music is on all night. The most important factor for my boys, however, was hanging out with their friends and consuming as much popcorn, soda, and ice cream as their parents will allow.

Alex disappeared into the fun and chaos with his friends, thrilled to have freedom and control over his own handful of "tickets" to buy the aforementioned treats. Jameson hung close to his parents until he found his favorite little friend, Corey, who is in kindergarten. Corey and Jameson feed incessantly on each other's energy, and before we knew it they were alternating between wrestling and chasing and general testosterone-driven rough playing. I became that harried, frenzied parent. You know, the one I used to watch with amusement before Jameson entered my life. The one that that has to chase her kid down before bodily harm is done, as he quickly worms his way through through groups of adults chatting and groups of kids dancing.

As we left, the four of us walked together into the cold, quiet night. I gratefully breathed in the fresh air, which felt calming after the noise and chaos of the dance. We walked a short distance on a path through the woods to get to our car. The snow crunched beneath our feet, and Jameson slipped his hand into mine. We paused and looked up at the stars.

And there I was, with my little family, on a beautiful clear night. My world fell into perfect alignment.

Moments of peace and calm and family togetherness are sacred moments, especially when the rest of the weekend seems to be an exercise in patience. Patience with sibling rivalry. Patience with demands for attention. Patience with two extra sets of hands, who want to "help" with the baking in the kitchen. And self-control when you hear the phrase "Let's go play javelin in the basement, Jameson".

(luckily "Playing Javelin" means that both boys hold a foam sword and they take turns throwing a third foam sword between them... not a bad indoor winter game at all)

Pictures are random shots over the last week.