Baby You're a Firework...

Another Fourth of July has come and gone, and another party goes down in the annals of history. Today was a hot July day, with no rain so far. We have been sleeping in, napping, snacking, and slowly cleaning up from a fun time with friends last night, well into the night. I also took some time to upload the pictures from the party on to the computer, which led, naturally, to that dangerous time suck of looking back. We recently got a new iMac, so the big beautiful screen has beckoned a lot this summer, and I have enjoyed taking vivid trips down memory lane, while realizing that my older eyes get a little bit tired of screen light, sometimes. And my older heart misses flipping through photos, in a book, or in a box, while curled up on the couch.

Mark my words that this summer we will rectify some of that.

On further examination, I realized we have been having a party, of some sort, on the night of the Fair Haven fireworks for several years, and I believe next year will be the somewhat, but not quite official, 10th year. Things have changed over the years, things have stayed the same. Along the lines of similarities, I can certainly say that I have panicked annually about whether I remembered to invite people, being that invites need to happen at the end of the school year and that time of year, no matter the year, is a certain level of crazy. Then I have worried about myriad "things;" whether the house was ready, whether the lawn was ready, how the weather would be, how the bugs would be, what food we should have, what drinks we should have, whether we had shirts that had the correct year for photographic integrity, etc. Still, somehow, low and behold, each and every year, regardless of what is running on my worry reel, everything works out just fine. And once the evening is in full swing, I find myself with the same overwhelming feeling of joy, surrounded by love, and feeling like summer has truly begun.

And I find that, even though I rolled my eyes at my daughter sporting her 2012 shirt in 2013, her crafty self had fixed the problem already, with some paper, marker, and tape. Again with the theme that tape can fix anything. Hmmm, universe, are ya sending me a sign?

So, when it comes down to it, today was truly an R&R day; rest and recovery. We even squeezed in dinner on the "bathtub of a boat," and a little swim in the bay. While we were out there, I floated off by myself for a bit, and at that time, in the quiet, calm, post holiday Sunday night water, said my "prayers" for the evening. Don't worry, I haven't gone all "Goddy," on ya, but I have been reading and re-reading a lot of Anne Lamott lately. I feel like, at 42, I have kind of adopted her "Help,Thanks,Wow" mantra as my grown up "Are you there, God? It's me, Margaret." I have been practicing gratitude nightly by thinking back on the day; what I need help with, what I am thankful for, and what made me say, "Wow!" Last night in bed, at 2:30 am actually, it was easy, and today, floating in that bay, it was equally crystal clear.

Help me let go of needless worry.
Thank You for my simple, beautiful life.
And no matter how old I get, fireworks will always make me say WOW!