Faster, Higher, Stronger

The London Olympics have started!  My entire life, I have adored the Olympics.  Time seems to stand still as we gather collectively around our televisions and watch amazing feats of grace, endurance and strength.  We are all awed by moments like Nadia Comaneci's seven (7!!) perfect scores, Michael Phelp's 8 gold medals, Usain Bolt's astounding speed, and the 1980 "Miracle on Ice." Estimates are that over 4 billion of us will watch together these next two weeks.  Picture that - people across the planet all sitting around their living rooms paying attention to something that isn't a scandal or disaster.  For an entire fortnight, we put aside our political differences and celebrate together.  It's a wonderful thing.

I love the fact that this is the first Olympiad ever that has a woman on every team.  I love the pomp of the opening ceremony where they all march in together.  Particularly the ones who wear native costumes.  And my heart is especially happy for those athletes who are so obviously thrilled or misty-eyed with pride at being there.

The one thing I love most about the Olympics is more true than ever this year.  My boys are turning in to teenagers.  They are growing up quickly and looking for role models.  IOC chair, Jacques Rogge's speech was much more eloquent on this topic than I will ever be.  He reminded the athletes and all of us watching, that honor isn't in winning - it's in how you play the game.  (His entire wonderful speech can be found here.)

Blessed as we are to live in this gorgeous place - "Englands green and pleasant land" - makes it possible for my family to go to the games this week.  I am so excited for them!  They will be seeing our very own USA men's basketball team play as well as going to several judo matches.  I'm not sure if they are more thrilled by the events themselves or the chance to spend time in the Olympic Village and maybe spot an athlete or two.  Either way, what an opportunity for my darling boys!

And for me - the most fun Olympic moment ever?  The latest Bond Girl:

Wonder what else these London games have in store for us?  Whatever it is - I hope a lot of dreams come true!

Purple Mountains Majesty

All day today the words from America the Beautiful have been running through my head.  I'm a Denver girl.  I blame my inability to find any location on Earth, outside of Colorado, on the lack of Rocky Mountains to the West.  They anchor the landscape and my own internal compass.  I laugh and say I am 'geographically challenged' without Pikes Peak somewhere in the distance to help me find my way.

And today my heart is heavy and my thoughts are muddled because:

This...

                                                                 

looks like this right now.

                                                  
My sister and her family were evacuated yesterday along with 32,000 others.  The Flying W Ranch has burned to the ground and several of our friends simply don't know if their homes are still standing.   My heart goes out to them.  And to all the other Coloradans facing the same terrible situation in the 10 active fires currently burning in our beautiful state.  I cannot imagine what they are going through.  I pray for their safety, the safety of their homes, wildlife and the firefighters who have gathered from all over to help.

But I am reminded, in the midst of all of this, of the one thing I tell my kids over and over again.  "Good will out."  Kindness matters.  Right now, it's all some people have.  The Red Cross and the emergency preparedness teams have all commented on it.  That as many as a third of the inquiries coming in are not requests for assistance - but rather, offers of help.  People opening their homes, barns and livestock pens to displaced strangers, their pets and horses.  They have been inundated with donations of food, clothing, money and time.

In the midst of some of the worst Mother Nature has to offer, fundamental human nature is a wonderful thing isn't it?

Cards

I've had some crafty fun this week with my enforced quiet time.  Several of my girlfriends have moved home to Colorado (which is nothing at all like England) and are missing Yorkshire's beautiful views.  With some new stamps I got from here, I made some cards to accompany the lovely Jubilee surprises I've been collecting for them.  Now a little show & tell!

                                    For Bebe who loved to hike the dales:
                                                   

                   For Mary Ann who loves the lambs & the ancient churches:

                                          For Patti, my crafting mate:

                      And for Angela who lived in an old stone house like ours:

The colors aren't as vibrant in the photos as on the actual cards.  But, I'm pretty pleased with the outcome and hope they enjoy them.  I miss their gorgeous faces!

On the Outside

I have had a few longer than usual weeks this month.  I had shoulder surgery a couple of weeks ago and when your main method of transportation is a wheelchair - being without your right arm means staying put.  This is not something that comes easily to me.  My kids and I like to be busy.  Enforced nesting has made us grumpy.  It's not pretty.

So, the doctor cleared me for driving and we decided (whooped for joy more like) to venture forth.  We met some friends for lunch.  Not anywhere fancy.  It wasn't a girls' lunch.  It was two moms getting out of the house with our kids.  When our original plans for a picnic in the park were rained out we opted for a nearby fast food place.  We were thrilled and so were they.

My friend's little boy has autism.  This means that "thrilled" can quickly spill over in to "overwhelmed."  Any sensory onslaught can be too much.  And then he melts down.  As the restaurant filled up and the noise level grew beyond that of his friends and siblings, he simply slipped into a puddle of overdone 7 year old and began holding his hands over his ears and wailing.  As my darling friend turned white faced and teary-eyed, the clucking from onlookers began.  I encouraged her to take him out to the car and sent my teenager to follow with their food.  The rest of the kids stayed with me.  As the murmur of voices died down with their exit, I heard one woman say to her companion, "All that child needs is a good wallop."

And I almost lost my temper.  I almost doled out a lecture right there in the middle of a McDonalds in West Yorkshire.  But, here's the thing.  It's easy to judge.  Just as easily as this woman was deciding my friend's "normal" appearing son was a great big boy who didn't know how to behave - I almost believed she was just an unkind old so-and-so.

But, how do I know?  Maybe she has arthritis and all this cold, wet weather makes her joints ache constantly.  Or her marriage is shaky.  Perhaps she lost someone recently.  Or she is simply having a rotten day.  Just like Kevin doesn't have a shirt that says "I'm Autistic, please be kind."  She doesn't have one either.  How do any of us know what is hidden beneath the facade we offer to the world?

So, I try to remember that.  As I get older and grumpier it gets harder.  But I still try.  Because I would much rather give someone the benefit of the doubt.  Every single time.

When my friend's 9 year old looked to me as the "wallop" comment settled into the silence, I just took his hand and tried to help with "Autism is hard isn't it?  It's hardest on Kevin and mummy."

And then my 10 year old settled it once and for all in his own inimitable way:  "Yeah. 'Cause his fries are gonna get cold before he eats 'em.  Can we buy him some new ones?"  Because when you're 10 and your friend has a moment - you need to be sure you're there for him with his favorite fried snack to hand.  (Or when you're 40 - her favorite Riesling in the fridge...)

So, my enforced jail time ended with gratitude.  That my littlest man is kind.  That my 13 year old doesn't mind pushing me around until I come out of this darn sling.  And that my faith in humankind was renewed when the would be walloper put her hand out as we went past and said these words: "I'm sorry love.  I leapt from the cliff of conclusion and landed smack on me face."

Elusive Moments

con·ver·sa·tion  \ˌkän-vər-ˈsā-shən\ 

(1) : oral exchange of sentiments, observations, opinions, or ideas (2) : an instance of such exchange
                                                                                          Merriam-Webster


I miss my husband.  I know we live in the same house, sleep in the same bed and share the same general longitude.  But there are days (like today) when things are particularly nuts and I feel more like we are acquaintances passing in a shop than spouses.  Don't get me wrong - even after 21 years of marriage - he still melts my butter.  It's just pretty hard to find 10 seconds to reconnect lately. 

BB has some kind of crazy software installation going on right now at work.  That's why he's gone before 6 and home again about 14 hours later.  That, coupled with guitar tutors, scuba diving lessons, karate, gymnastics, riding, various sports practices and a full social calendar - makes even conversation difficult. 

Lately when we have had a chance to talk, there have been the inevitable interruptions from noisy boys, dogs, pagers and phones.  Our best moments recently have been a few stolen exchanges over chores.  "Can you take that trash out? How was your day?  How much salad do you want?" hardly qualifies as a discussion, let alone a romantic interlude.

And I know I will miss these days.  Just as I miss chasing a toddler and cuddling a feverish preschooler.  I will miss these days.  Life goes by so fast, you miss something every time you blink.  And, intellectually, I know that we are blessed in so many ways.  Blessed that BB has a great job that he enjoys and finds intellectually stimulating.  Blessed that our kids are healthy and happy and confidant enough to be loud and active and present.  Blessed that our marriage has survived while so many of our friends have faced achingly unpleasant divorces.

But right now, I want stimulating conversation.  I want someone to mull over current events and debate politics with.  I want someone to complain to about the difficulties involved in teenager wrangling.  I want my best friend.  And if I want it to happen before our nest is empty, the only way I'm going to get him is to make a date and put it on the calendar.  Otherwise, the next time I blink our chicks will have flown and this (God willing) will be us:

So, I better go make a reservation before the thought falls out of my head (don't laugh, that happens a lot at my age!)  Wishing all of you out in blogland a wonderful week & the adult conversation of your choice!