Dance Moves, or lack thereof...

Okay, when does it happen? When are you no longer cool enough to do sassy dance moves out on the dance floor and not feel like a total boob? Val's wedding was today (sidenote - very fun, very sweet, more on that later) and there was a DJ. So you know, in the beginning no one's dancing - they're all eating, talking, etc. But then the DJ switches to more "danceable" songs and the fun should begin. Is it because I'm 30? Is it because I'm a mom now? I mean, I'm not going to star on any of the reality dance shows (even though I do secretly love "So you think you can dance"), but I'm not without rhythm. Today? I felt so white - like I was somehow past the stage where I can do sassy/flirty moves, and all that is left for me is some sort of side to side stepping coordinated with some sort of arm pumping....so sad, really. Because I do love music...and love to move to it...but somehow I feel like I've lost my magic. So sad, so sad.

Mimi

So today, after taking Lily to the doctor, I talked to my sister. She and mom were on their way to visit Mimi, since she can't come to Val's wedding this weekend. She was at our wedding 3 years ago...but there is NO WAY she could make it to Val's. Mimi has alzheimers. And to be honest, at first the diagnosis didn't shake me up...I mean, Mimi seemed fine to me. So she was a little forgetful, and driving needed to be out of the question...but she was still Mimi. Still laughing, engaging in conversation, etc. I knew it would get worse, but I never spent much time dwelling on what worse would mean.

Mimi lives in a house with 5 or 6 other elderly ladies. They don't all have alzheimers like she does. Mimi sleeps alot. She's very quiet, and thankfully is not angry or difficult - I have heard of people who were once so patient and gentle turning so mean - this is not Mimi. She was curled up in a chair sleeping, Mom and Val were sitting on the floor near her, and all the other ladies were in their chairs or recliners around the room. A sweet older lady named Grace was doing "sit and be fit" moves to tapes that she changed out from song to song - two women were participating - the rest were either sleeping, watching, or in their own worlds. They did a particularly fun exercise with foam balls to Blueberry Hill - a classic. :)

The whole time, Mimi slept. She's so tiny...and really frail. When we left we all said bye to her, kissed her cheeks, etc. I said "Bye Mimi, I love you." and she told me, "okay. I'll be around."

I couldn't help but think about the lives represented in that room that had been confined to old bodies and minds that won't cooperate with them anymore. Some in the room are of realtively healthy bodies, but their minds are struggling. Others, like Ms. Grace with sit and be fit, are only limited by the fact that they don't get around as well as they used to - she was sharp!

What if we could have flashed back 50 or so years? Then they'd be my age, give or take. What if they had been sitting in the same circle, same recliners...but in their 30s? What would they have talked about, laughed about, lamented? I'm sure they would have discussed children and parenting, good recipes or household secrets to getting this or that clean....Maybe they would have talked about the latest gossip at church, or what was new in the lives of their husbands...Most assuredly they would have been more private than we are today with each other...but perhaps more hospitable or lady-like to some degree. But today, they smiled at Lily and cooed about how cute she is. They did their exercises. They waited for their snacks and medecines. They got their physical therapy. And tomorrow will be more of the same.

As Ecclesiastes both encourages us, and admonishes us...let's live our lives fully today. Don't be lazy or complacent. Don't walk in fear. There will come a day, if we live long enough, that our mind or our body (or both!) will no longer cooperate with us. And we will wake up each morning ready for our real home - in the meantime, love deeply and fully. This is a legacy that will live on...and I have been blessed to receive such a legacy from my Mimi.

Summer Fun

I promise that I do have other things going on besides just hanging out with Lily, but I have to admit that I LOVE not having to go to work right now. I love that I don't feel rushed in the mornings, that I don't have to "hit the ground running" when I hear Lily start to stir around so that I can get the both of us ready and out the door on time. Hanging out in the backyard, playing in the blow up alligator pool that sprays water? Awesome. Taking a nap in the afternoon while Lily does because I feel like it? Amazing. It's made me feel lighter, really. So here's a few new pics, courtesy of my sister...

How time flies...

So this is a pic of Lily from last June. I CANNOT believe how much she has changed. To me this is a great reminder that time keeps moving forward, and that the Lord can do so much in a short time. Everything has a season, a purpose, meaning...and He makes all things beautiful in His time. Each day gets us closer to the time when we will be perfected, made whole...

If you're in a tough season - hang in there. If you're in season of ease and peace - thank the Lord for it and ask Him to bring it to your mind when you need reassurance down the road. I'm thankful that He has compassion and care for us far beyond we what we even have for our own children - something I cannot begin to understand. Praise Him for His goodness!

No seriously...

I love my little girl. She cracks me up. Yesterday was our first official day of summer together, and after a crazy morning of errands and napping in the car, she dropped an entire bottle of cocktail sauce on the floor about 10 minutes before we had some friends (crawlers, not walkers!) coming over to play. So what did mommy do? Put her in the highchair with a nilla wafer while I furiously went to town cleaning, sweeping, mopping the mess.

Then, last night we had a minor first aid issue because as I was making dinner I turned around and she had gotten the green bean can out of the trash and then of course cut her finger on it before I could get it out of her hand...all is well, we have a prescription to go pick up in an hour for my peace of mind, but right now she has a bandaid and neosporin and she keeps walking around with her finger in the air saying "all better!"

This morning, I put on her brand new pink converse all-stars, and I said, "Lily, I love them! They look so cool!" She quickly beamed and said "coo!"

And then these, my friends, are 2 of my new fave pics of Lily (courtesy of Jenn) because it is so her...messy hair because we don't like bows (and by we I mean Lily)...pretty blue eyes that I prayed she would have...I love her....and right now she's dancing in front of an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, singing along with her favorite song - the hot dog dance - thank you Lord for the joy in Lily that is contagious...