Count Your Blessings and Pass Them On

I really appreciate my step-son's positive attitude in the wake of his "tragedy" caused by Hurricane Irene. He matter-of-factly informed me that his hard drive was fried. No swearing, no tears, no sweat.

Here we are complaining about the power being out, the phones not working, etc. Have we already forgotten all of the people in Haiti who are still homeless almost two years after the earthquake? It's times like these that I'm reminded of my belief that the Universe sends hardships to remind us that we are really blessed, that things could be a lot worse. Even those who have lost their homes and businesses in the last 48 hours will have a much better chance of recovery than anyone in Haiti or any third-world country, in part because of our public and private relief agencies and in part because of the helping hands of neighbors and community members. I hope we all, myself included, can remember to put our energy into helping others instead of focusing on our minor inconveniences and losses.

Peace and healing to all.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

Mike and I went to a national park site, where the USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned U.S. warship is docked. In the gift shop we bought Spencer a set of Revolutionary War toy soldiers. He opened up the package, dumped them out, and promptly read the word "China" off the bottom of one.

Ahhh....Respite

I love having a capable, trusted respite worker. Andrew is like family. He knows Alex and Spencer better than anyone, and they absolutely adore him. He schools them in all things Star Wars, gives them lots of love, and makes sure they are safe and happy. And Mommy can go away happy and not worrying about a thing. I'm laying in bed in a hotel room outside Boston right now. I've barely even thought about the boys this morning. I needed this break. Time to let go of all the stress and worrying, recoup and refuel. I'm so grateful the Universe brought this amazing guy into our lives. I don't think he knows just how special and awesome he is...but I do know my boys will remind him of that with all of their adoration and idolizing of him today and tomorrow. He deserves it!

The English Language

I love Spencer's sense of humor. He's reading the Harry Potter novels right now. We were having a conversation about the difference between American English and British English. I told him they have some different words for things, such as pram for stroller, buggy for grocery cart, and nappie for diaper. "Nappie?" he said, "Do they use their Pull-Ups for napkins?"