An overcast day in March

Yesterday a news helicopter crashed on a Seattle street, right in front of the Space Needle, killing the pilot and reporter and critically injuring a man on the ground.  It was all over the news on the radio--a tragic story.  I have also been fascinated by the missing airplane in the news.  I feel for the families of the missing.  Both stories were ever present in the back of mind as I went about my day.

I thought about it while Mark and I perused the aisles of Costco and picked up a copy of Frozen on DVD which we knew would thrill Emma.  (Adam thought this was ill advised considering how obsessed she already is, but sometimes you just do things that are ill advised.) How wonderful that for $14.99, I could make my daughter's day.

I thought about it when I wondered how I was going to get time for the items on my to do list.  How wonderful that my big concern was getting time for a laundry pile and some vacuuming.

I drove Emma to her friend's tennis match.  Emma never asks for much so when I can, I say yes.  I dropped her off then drove to the swanky new aquatic center in Snohomish and got information about the home school swim program for Mark.  How wonderful to be able to give my children opportunities to do things they enjoy.

I sat in my van and read while I waited for Emma to be done.  How wonderful.

Braeden and his friends were sure that last night was the night that junior girls traditionally toilet paper junior boys' houses.  He assembled an arsenal of friends and determined to stay out all night on our front porch and defend his turf.  I told them that probably the girls were practicing psychological warfare and the boys would stay up late and the girls would be home, warm and happy.  Turns out their intel was correct though, it was the night of the strike.  Also, the boys' parents made them go home earlier than the girls' parents apparently.  So no one was out to protect our turf.

chairs still set up from their late night--though not late enough--vigil

I don't think I understand this...

How wonderful though that our boys don't have to worry about defending themselves from more menacing threats than teenage girls.

Real tragedies happen in this world and I just wanted to record that on an overcast day in March, I knew how fortunate I was.