Contemplation After The Rush

I cried again this morning, this time while watching my younger son take Communion at Mass.  Happy tears, at least.  I was completely fine for his official making of the sacrament yesterday, oddly, but today my eyes stung and the drops fell while watching him standing at the altar during the regular service, looking so big and so capable and so confident up there all of a sudden (for how many years did I wonder if he'd ever be able to understand what was going on enough to participate in this or so many other things??  I dare to dream, but know better than to take for granted.)

For yesterday's big event, we had most of the driving-range family in town: my in-laws and sister-in-law (the godmother) and nephews.  A houseful of people, good things to eat and gifts and celebration.  The sister-in-law and nephews stayed the night--there were nighttime giggles and thumps from the "boy room" and pancakes early this morning.  We had two soccer matches as well, both Thing One's, one yesterday and one today; the one yesterday tied up emphatically in the last minute with a booming goal scored from midfield by my big-footed son.

Mother's Day was almost an afterthought this year, and that's okay.  This weekend was mostly about my sons (the one's First Communion, the other's soccer) but I can't find it in my heart to have an issue with that.  I'm not super crazy about this holiday anyway because it seems socially mandated and Hallmark-y to me, but I know that my children love me and I sure as heck love my own mother and I guess having a day set aside for remembering and celebrating all that isn't a bad thing, even if the marketers get annoyingly overboard.  I got hugs and kisses and homemade presents from the kids and had a lovely cross-country chat with Mom and her sister, my godmother-aunt (and second mother figure) and that sounds like a good way to celebrate to me (or at least as good as not being with Mom today is going to be.)  I would have been happy to have a takeout pizza for dinner, but Himself is grilling instead and has promised to clean up afterward as well (!) and as long as there are no more dishes for me to do this weekend I will be happy either way.

It doesn't seem possible that tomorrow could be Monday already...wish me luck.  Seems like a weekend like this one should be followed with a day of rest that I'm just not seeing in the calendar!