Something to Remember

When the birthday party started three minutes ago and you have not even left home, and as you're walking to get your purse out of your bedroom, and you see what can only be a puddle of urine on the living room floor.

​Oh, and I can never find any personalized gift tags, so of course I had to whip up one before leaving home, and of course all that I could find was purple glue.

​​Immanuel was adamant about holding the present during the nine minute drive to the party and succeeded at pulling 1/3 of the ribbons out of the wrapping, but we made it. I guess that we were less than 30 minutes late.

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Working two very part time jobs is far more demanding than working one full time job.  Well, maybe the jobs aren't demanding, and it is just that I have crammed my days full of meaningful activities that I will continue once I return to work full time.  When I worked, my life was steady and predictable.  I had to arrive by 8:30 and at 5:30 I was 15 minutes away from walking out the door.  Now there is no set time for me to leave and arrive anywhere, with the exception of picking up children.  In the meantime, I have amassed a collection of activities and pursuits that are meaningful to me in a way that working never was.

I envisioned myself wrapping presents a week in advance, and having a box full of personalized gift tags that aren't hastily completed minutes before the party begins.  I laugh as I type this, and I am grateful for the chaos, and the first 25 minutes of the party that we missed, because in that time life happened.  Something unplanned, something that did not resemble the mundane that would provide me with memories to cherish when my children have long left home.

Maybe it would be easier to purchase ready made gift tags, but I hope that when I am gone those will be the things that my children remember about me.