Outside My Window

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I am thinking…
Mr. Pete is awesome.

I’ve been working hard for months on a concert that probably will only be heard by a few dozen people. Certainly not more than 50, but I could be underestimating. And I’m honestly have a bit of stage fright about it.

But Mr. Pete cantored for mass yesterday and sang a lot of featured parts and solos before a few hundred people. I’m told the church can hold 1000. It was pretty full so maybe it was close to that. But he got up there and sang after taking care of soccer fields on Saturday, going shopping with me , and making some great food for our dinner as well as finishing the ceiling work he started last week.

None of the worshippers saw that though. He had nerves of steel and just sang beautifully.

I am thankful…
that some out-of-town relatives could join us for Easter Dinner!

I am pondering…
the problems of a divided household. Miss C’s parents had a lot of miscommunications about the Easter Holiday. In fact, holidays are become a source of heartache just about every time.

And I get it.

Each parent wants to see the special events of each holiday with their child at that moment in their life.
Christmas Eve, Christmas morning, Easter, Fourth of July, Birthdays, Thanksgiving.

And if one parent gets it, the other one doesn’t.

In my own experience, my father never spent a single holiday with us. Ever. I have no memories of Christmas in New Mexico, or watching my Dad carve a turkey. And I’m sure most of that was because my father didn’t want to put up with my grandmother’s viscious humor and my mother didn’t want to send us away for a holiday.

My kids never had to experience any of that. But now to watch it happening to my granddaughter is bringing it forward to me again and making me to re-think things about my own childhood. At the same time, I am grieving for both of Miss C’s parents, because no matter what, from this time forward, someone is always going to feel hurt and/or left out. Short of reconciliation, I don’t see any other way to avoid it. The best we can do is to try to be accepting and understanding and make the best out of a situation that is beyond our control.

One of my Favorite Things…

Family dinners!

I am hearing…
The hum of my computer and Noah getting ready for the day

In the kitchen…
Lots of left over ham and potatoes and other goodies

I am wearing…
Gray pants, black thermal shirt.

I am going…

• Upper body workouts and core and adding more aerobics with a little step and some actual walking. I did two workouts in my basement and took the dog on a long walk. Then Thursday I went shopping with my 12-year-old daughter and 4-year-old granddaughter. Friday night after church my knee started to hurt again. Not terrible like before, just every time I tried to lift my leg – which as it turns out is quite often! So I started to think what the *$(#&%!!   But it stayed the same Saturday and Sunday and by Monday morning it was better. So maybe that was just my knee’s way of saying let’s take it slow and steady! I keep icing it and taking my Mobic prescription from Walgreens, Hot water seems to help as well.    

• add some additional novenas next year with the help of PrayMoreNovenas.com Mr. Pete started saying the Divine Office with me in the morning and we are going to keep it up even now that Lent is over. 
• to cut my carbs via the Wheat Belly Total Health: The Ultimate Grain-Free Health and Weight-Loss Life Plan recommendations and Intermittent Fasting.  
• Keep practicing my recital pieces. This has been a humbling experience. Mr. Pete and his associate did find some small leaks in my flute and fixed them. But when I got my flute back, they had also added some plugs in two of the keys of my open-holed flute. I. was. perturbed. But when Mr. Pete got home he told me that in his experience, flute pieces that require a lot of dexterity can really benefit from having the holes plugged because the fingers are moving so fast that they don’t anatomically fill the open hole as well as they should. He also told me I would be surprised how many professionals sometimes get these plugs.  I guess I buy it because the flute does sound better.