Men

The other day, a Saturday, the Mr. and I got our weekend chores done and had the afternoon in front of us to do with what we pleased. I had gotten a gift card to the movies and so it was decided; lunch and a matinee. We chose a movie (The Taken) and we chose a restaurant (PF Chang's). Both located at our local mall (Fairlane Towncenter.) Perfect...until.

The Mr. wonders if we should see if daboyz want to come along! For crying out loud, they are 19 and 20 years old and one of them lives on his own! Can we not go to the movies and out to lunch alone? All inside of my head. Out of my mouth came something much more maternal, "I'm sick of them."

Sunday night found us gathered with my parents watching the Superbowl surrounded by chicken wings and chili and various other munchies. Why? Because we are such a football family? Except for the Mr., no we are not a football family. But because several years ago my dad threw a lasso around the Superbowl and made it a family "holiday." And why chicken and chili? Because those Daboyz insist!

The same reason that we sat in horizontal rain on crumbling bleachers watching football eating Pringles. The same reason we froze our nether regions walking around Greenfield Village eating chest nuts roasted on an open fire a few Christmases back. The same reason we start coordinating our vacation requests in January for the July Lewiston trip.

The same reason we spend at least half of the warm summer evenings around here gathered around one of our back yard barbecues together (my sister's, my parent's or ours.)

As a mom I have spent what sometimes feels like more than enough moments with my kids. More than enough days and nights of tending to details that were all mine to fret over like dentist appointments and science fair projects and do we have enough diapers to last until pay day and have I mentioned, "how much do you need to spend for groceries?" Honestly, I love them from the very depths of my soul but at this point with the promise of a movie and date without daboyz, I am not sharing one more bucket of popcorn! Well, at least not today!

That's why God made the menfolk of this family. They were in no way absentee dads or grandpas in the old days, but they didn't get worn out with dirty dishes and thirty cupcakes for school and I believe this left them with enough energy to take us forward by insisting on new moments to replace the bed time stories and games of peek-a-boo that used to count for quality time. Now my dad and the Mr. are continually organizing and planning in advance or on the fly to be together as a family.

I'm grateful that I can finally say, "I'm sick of them." but know that our moments didn't end with high school commencements. The landscape has changed and little boys in car seats do the heavy lifting for a dad and grandpa growing older. In the subtle mystery of God's creation, my dad has begun to call his grandsons over when he needs a hand with the very things he used to teach them. Our baby boy clears the snow before his dad gets home from work.

And love teaches us all to create the todays and tomorrows that grow from yesterdays well tended.

Pic: 2005, One of many autumn days in the bleachers watching high school football.