Blessed

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I am attempting to make this brief because, good gracious, Mama's tired. It's been a long, wonderful, mellow, mojito & love-filled weekend, but I felt that I could not rest until I at least share just a teensy little blog posting.

This holiday weekend provided me with the following two important insights:

1) Apparently, I am not a HUGE 4th of July person. Don't get me wrong- it's not that I dislike it. I mean, what's not to like? The patriotic happiness, the bold colors, the flag waving, the beers, the hot dogs (and the televised hot dog eating contests...), the parades, the kids in their cute little 4th of July gear, the fireworks. And obviously, I am forever grateful for this country and our history and all that our ancestors & forefathers did to pave the way. But the actual day of celebration itself....it's all kind of weird for me. I guess I'm just not one of those that will ever be TOTALLY into this holiday. In part, this may be because red, white & blue were never my best colors. Those of you who know me know I prefer a bit more green in my daily wardrobe (perhaps this explains my deep and mystifying love for St. Patrick's Day, on the other hand...). Or maybe it's because this county is so hell-bent on preventing any type of firework activities, which can quickly put quite a damper on a holiday whose ENTIRE CLAIM TO FAME IS a fireworks show at the end of the day. I mean, a 4th of July without fireworks at the end is like eating bread without butter- what's the point?

Either way, I ended my 4th of July feeling a bit....underwhelmed. That's the word. (But stay with me here...) I guess I don't quite get all the hype that comes along with it. HOWEVER.....it's now time to move on to my #2 realization to make my #1 realization come full circle. Somehow. That's the goal.

2) The very best part of my 4th was spending time with some really wonderful people. Which served as a great reminder: I am incredibly & undeniably blessed. For the most part, I am surrounded by the warmest, funniest, most loving & beautiful friends. Heck, they are all just downright awesome. The only reason it was truly a holiday for me was because I got to spend time with some of these people, and I was reminded how lucky we truly are. Lucky, of course, to be living in a country with the birthright freedoms and privileges that come so easily to us. But mostly lucky that I get to feel & experience what it's like to love AND to be loved every single day. Feeling loved and joy and peace is a norm for me, not a rarity. How blessed am I! There are so many destitute, isolated and sad people in this world that would give anything to experience this, and yet how easy it is for me to take it all for granted. To take these precious people in my life for granted. I think what I'm trying to say is, I have so much love in my heart for these people in my life, that my cup has no choice but to runneth over.

Oh, how I will be trying my hardest each and every day to thank God for each of you, to remember to enjoy each moment that I am with you, to be present & in the moment when I am with you, to really listen to you, to remember to tell you I love you, and to teach my children the vital importance of surrounding themselves with authentic & genuine friendships. You just cannot put a price tag on that. Thank you, 4th of July holiday weekend- I am enlightened and loving it.

Whoopsies. This was not as brief as I had intended.