Thankful Thursday - Things that have entertained me

Things that entertained me over the past twenty four hours:

Funniest cat moment EVER - my cat chased a red hot for ten minutes and kept trying to pick it up. Ha! No thumbs for you!  He's just so sure he's human. I can see the frustration in his face when he can't do what I do.

Austin drove for the first time. Ever. There was a family looking to rent the apartment next to ours and they blocked the drive to our apartment so I had to park at the end of the building and I jokingly told Austin to move the car once those people had left. I take a potty break...  look out... and he's trying to drive... our upstairs neighbor (and maintenance man) is in the passenger seat and the two neighborhood dogs are weaving back and forth in front of the car trying to see what is going on. Austin is lurching forward... wearing my brakes and my nerves... and I just tried to keep the dogs from running in front of the car and becoming a hood ornament. It was comical. It was only about fifty yards but he was quite proud of himself. We're getting his learners on his 18th birthday... two weeks from today. I've sort of stalled on him driving for a couple of reasons... one, I couldn't afford to add him to my insurance... two... he just hasn't been responsible enough. My mantra has been, "when I no longer have to remind you to take a shower, I'll know you're responsible enough to drive". We really aren't there yet.

Best How I Met Your Mother episode ever- the one where Barney and Robin try to TOUCH everything in the museum... well, then it gets out of hand and they're putting on clothes and ... it's just a really funny episode.

Sarah Palin was on The Five last night. It was great how star struck they all were. Even Bob Beckel - the liberal. Greg Gutfeld even blushed. I know none of y'all watch The Five but I'm tellin' ya... it's one of my favorite shows. This morning Eric Boling is on Fox and Friends... he's also on The Five. I love my Fox News folks.

I forgot to buy coffee. Again. I was able to scrape together enough yesterday for a decent pot. Today... I've got nothing. I'm going to be buying some nasty gas station coffee on my way to work. I guess that should be listed under, "things I've forgotten to do".

My blood pressure won't go down even though we've doubled my bp meds. I have only had one reading all week that was below 150/100. That actually didn't entertain me. Maybe I should change the title to "things that are remarkable". It's definitely affecting how I feel... and how I feel is affecting my blood pressure.

Payday today! Entertaining? Maybe not. Reason for an exclamation point? Yes!

I have one client/friend whose son is negotiating football/baseball scholarships... he's received two awesome awards here in the past few weeks... she's in that sweet spot of reaping the rewards for all those hours in a folding chair beside a ball field. I'm so happy for her and proud right along with her.

For me... with Austin... the fact that he's still alive, still getting up every day most days and going to school... the fact that he every now and then does a chore or performs an act of kindness, these moments for me are my football banquet/scholarship offer for him. I think any time your child performs beyond what you would have ever thought possible... it's rewarding to parents. If you had known Austin in preschool when he was biting all of his friends. If you had sat in on any of the dozens of parent/teacher conferences over the past 13 years where I kept being told that my kid couldn't/wouldn't succeed. We've come so far. You may see a kid in pajama pants and flipflops but I see a success.

I think - at least for me as a parent - whatever my kids do that makes them happy and isn't detrimental to society makes me happy. Seeing Ryan experience professional and personal success is my reward... Seeing Cody in a loving marriage is my reward...sometimes the pride I feel for these boys is overwhelming. And I think everybody needs somebody in their life who celebrates who they are... regardless of how it compares to anyone else. Everybody needs somebody to believe in them.

Two of my childhood friends with daughters around the same age have both found out that their girls are pregnant in the past few weeks. Neither one is the Norman Rockwell perfect situation. Both prospective grandmothers are already in love with that baby on the way. It's like the comment that my friend Gina posted on my facebook wall yesterday: Girl I am watchin "The Blind Side" for the very first time and I am just talkin' to myself outloud sayin' - "You know, there is just somethin' about Southern Mothers!" And I thought of you :)

And I thought... yep. It's true. We love with the insane intensity of Jewish mothers without the guilt. OR rather, I should say, with passive aggressive guilt. "No honey... it's ok... you take the car... mommy doesn't mind walking to work..."  Whether our kid is the Valedictorian... or a drop out. We love 'em. 

Another thought yesterday that entertained me greatly: I'm a grace dependent creature living in a works based world. If you're not an evangelical Christian that might not make as much sense but... let me try... I'm a person who is never going to have the obvious reasons for celebration. I don't make enough money. I don't sell the most insurance. I didn't have kids who were overachievers (although my daughter in law is consistently on the Dean's List). I don't drive the best car. The things that most people see as validation... it's a foreign language to me. Hugging my client/friend as she sets off for her son's award banquet... being able to encourage someone who is struggling to pay a bill... getting a few words of affirmation from a friend ... being happy for my friends who are becoming grandmothers... that's where I LIVE! Those are the sweetest moments in life for me... the things that matter most to me aren't things.

If yesterday was "Half Price Chocolate Day"... today is "I Got Out Of Bed Day"... it's not just a matter of having a day of gratitude, my Thankful Thursday... it's a matter of celebrating life. My life. Broken and broke. Battered. Discouraged. Painful. And beautiful. 

Love and hugs, y'all!