I could saturate myself with last Sunday afternoon and call it, alone, a simple, ecstatic life. My daughter Emma said at the end of the day, "We sure do make great memories."
It was a week ago Sunday that Samuel, Emma and I decided on a spur of a moment to fill a couple open hours with feeding the ducks at nearby (yet far enough away that it feels like an adventure) Hart Park.
What I wasn't expecting was for thirteen-year-old Emma to have so much fun with this peaceful, in nature, activity. Usually she sneers at the mention of hiking or exploring or adventuring, but now it has been two weeks in a row she has gleefully accepted my invitation to feed ducks. This weekend she even overcame a long held fear of geese and sat peacefully with me as I hand fed the Muscovy ducks, which are rather large and have a demeanor similar to (but not as aggressive as) the geese that roam the park which we like to avoid.
When I was a new Mom, a used to invest in books and seminars about making memories with your family. I worked at making memories. As I have matured as a mother and evolved as a human being, I have learned the best memories are made not when we force them, but when we allow them to happen as they will. I never pushed Emma to go hiking or adventuring, but this Spring when we visited Sequoia, she got hooked. If I had pushed or nagged or cajoled, I doubt it would have happened with the same light hearted ease.
Later on Sunday, we went to church for an Advent Family Workshop. This is a long-standing tradition that connects back to my childhood when I used to attend a similar event at my home church in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. At this version at my current church, we make Gingerbread houses among other crafts. The Gingerbread house has been the main focus. The first year of the Workshop was three years ago and our gingerbread house collapsed under our enthusiastic building.
We made two other attempts which always failed until this year, when the house we were given was pre-constructed. As usual, though, our house was unconventional. Samuel made an Elf roof and a reindeer antler wall. Emma made an "E" roof and a Happy Face themed wall. We didn't have a door to our house, because we decided entry and exit were by magic.
We declared our victorious, not falling down house "A Christmas Miracle!"
We had a hayride this year with carolling which we all enjoyed: even Samuel who refused to sing. Next year I am sure he will be eager to attend again and will ask, "Where is they hayride?" if we don't ride it, first thing.
We make memories. We make stories, silly - soulful - reflective of one another's spirt.
We make love visible.
This is my best art, don't you think?
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