She Is Clothed

I am at the Chaska Library on this beautiful Saturday morning in July.  Where else would I be? It is Saturday. It is summer.  This is my expected location at least until 11:30 am when my children will let me know that they are done with their desired activity, (which is always computer time and searching for kids movies on dvd) and we will head home for lunch and the then figure out what the rest of our day entails.

This morning, we left the house early as River City Days is this weekend in Chaska, and I wasn't sure what the crowds would be like.  Our first stop was Red Bench Bakery.  Three tables, maybe four were taken. All three comfy chairs in front of the stone fireplace were empty as if they were just waiting for us to arrive.  I wondered if they had been cleared out just before we got there.  Rather than make our selections and exit quickly, the kids and I enjoyed the comfy chairs and that Chai Latte with almond milk seemed to really make my smile a whole lot more grand.  We knew that the library wasn't going to open for a bit, so we decided to drive in search of a garage sale or two. We found a moving sale and enjoyed looking at all of the items they were parting with. We ransacked the free bins for jerseys and bought a few Peanut's dvd's for Zach.  (Yes, he already has them, and yes, I knew it.  He loves them, what can I say?)

We then headed to the Library so that we could take a leisurely walk through the commons area and shop at the Library Book Sale. Table after table of books, movies and magazines all at amazing prices. I would guess that there were over 5,000 items available in the commons this morning.  And absolute feast for fellow bibliophiles.  I found three classics (Shirley by Charlotte Bronte, Gerda in Sweden, The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck,  and a John Irving book I have been wanting to read. Lily found a kids book of poetry.) Lily then took a gander through The Chaska History Center and enjoyed the World War I and II exhibits which she commented that she wants to go back and bring dad with her next time. She also enjoyed the fact that the woman who welcomed her gave her permission to raid the candy bowl on the welcome desk.

Lily then joined Zach and I in the library where it was a little bit cooler and little less chaotic.
Why, you may ask, do I share this mundane glance into our Saturday morning? Because it is anything but mundane. Leggings were worn.  Oversized tee shirts were donned.  Chai Lattes were consumed.  Books were poured over. Smiles were shared.  Videos were watched. Children were content. And this mom?  This mom knew it was a great start to a new day.

Not every day is exciting. Not every day is filled with adventure. But every day can be great when we set our minds to it.  When we do not race on to the next activity. When we take extra time to sit and share stories with each other. When we enjoy comfortable chairs that were ours for the taking.  When we just take time to be together.

I do not have any grand plans for the rest of this day.  It will be hot, we will swim. The kids will enjoy popsicles on the deck.  We will grill chicken tonight and pair it with a salad and pineapple for dinner.  And we will probably enjoy a gluten free brownie with cashew milk ice cream for dessert. And all of this sounds like a mighty fine Saturday to me.

Enjoy those moments. Those moments that don't seem spectacular.  Those moments that often fade into the background because we let them.  Those are also pieces of each day that can be something absolutely amazing, if let them.