Have you ever thought to yourself “I’m so happy, I have everything!” Driving on a beautiful but frigid cold Thursday morning with blue skies and sun glistening off the snow, I had that exact thought. I was on my way to our son’s home at about 800am to meet him, his wife, our daughter, her boyfriend, and we were all going to go out to a special crepe restaurant for breakfast. We had discussed it the previous evening while we were visiting and having Mexican Posole for dinner that Jessica had made.
Please don’t get the impression that our lives are perfect. Our lives are far from idyllic! We definitely do and have had our share of not quite perfect parent moments, family lessons that have been learned the hard way, and exercises in patience that would make a sloth feel frustrated. But I was so full of contentment on my drive over.
So many thoughts were going through my mind. So happy that our children enjoyed each others company so much. That they not only loved each other, but that they truly liked one another. That my daughter-in-law and our daughter were actually friends, not a forced or strained relationship. That Niki’s boyfriend fell into this group with ease and comfort. As a mother it was wonderful knowing that your kids actually wanted to hang out with you, even after spending hours with them the night before. Oh I was feeling so good and happy. Yep, I had it all!
We all piled into Christopher truck and proceeded to head out to the crepe restaurant with Jessica looking a little green around the gills from morning sickness. Niki began to get annoyed because apparently I was staring at her face too long. Christopher started saying how he really had a taste for an omelet and questioning whether the crepe place had omelets. Discussion ensued regarding do we really want crepes or maybe a place with full service breakfast, and several long minutes where a decision couldn’t be made. My joking comment that if I wanted regular breakfast I could have cooked at home. Finally settling on a coney restaurant in Flint that was full service. Comments were made about not drinking the water, especially with Jessica being pregnant. Then Jessica orders water and Christopher makes faces, so Jess forgoes the water and orders apple juice. Niki can’t decide between waffles or chorizo sausage, which prompts me to tell her to go for the waffles because I have chorizo at home that she can cook. Which prompted a snippy “Oh, so I can have that sausage now?!” from her. And all I can humorously think at this point is what happened to my feeling of “Yep, I have it all?”
We definitely aren’t perfect and almost shine with imperfection, and I think that is one of the things I love best about “us.” There isn’t any pretension, façade or guise. What you see is what you get. “Normal is boring” was a quote often heard when the kids were growing up. Our family is perfectly flawed with acceptance and love unconditionally given and received. And we truly do have it all……