Its been awhile, Naenah and her imagination, and continuing on in Grattitude...

Here we are.  I started this blog nearly four years ago.  On the Journey through moving to a new place and the trials and celebrations that come along with it.  Wow.  Have we seen so many things in the last four years.  I started to feel guilty about the neglect this poor blog was getting from me.  But, I stopped that.  It helps no one.  And really, so many good things are happening that it is taking me away from my notebook screen and into many Life experiences.

The one word to describe what it is that our lives in this sweet little town are? Thriving.  Every last facet of our Lives, we are Thriving.  Even as I write this, knowing that the words are true, I still suck wind and get teary eyed. I'm humbled and taken to my knees in Gratitude. Its all a bit overwhelming when I think about it, but it is indeed Thriving.

I hadn't thought about writing a post in quite some time.  Then, last night happened.  Small to others in measure, but a huge stepping block for me.  Here's the back story:

When I was about seven years old, one summer afternoon, Mom told my younger sister, Rita and I to lay down for naps.  I don't really remember fighting her on it and laid down in bed, drifting to sleep watching Rita sit on the table in our room coloring....

Or so I thought, I woke with a jolt as I heard Mom angry.  In a bit of a daze, I was pulled out of bed and asked if I helped, if I did it?  Did what?  I was so confused.  I looked down at my arms and legs, looked in the mirror that Mom had dragged me to to see pen marks all over my body.  Wha?  I was asleep...like you told me to be!

I guess Rita got a wild hair and a great idea that skin was so much better than paper as a medium.  She looked just as bad as I did.  I couldn't help but smile at her.  I thought it was funny. That was all it took, my poor mother snapped.  We were spanked and thrown into the tub.  Scrubbed by her, then by Dad.

Dad didn't realize his own strength and scrubbed a bit to hard, which was funny because I never remember it hurting.  But, the scrubbing left scratch marks. The man I had never ever seen bust out in tears, felt so bad, tears running down his face.

I was still trying to wake the heck up, I don't think my little brain really cleared until he hauled us both out of the tub, wrapped us in towels, swatted our behinds, and sent  us back to our room.

Once in our rooms, I asked my sister what she was thinking?  Keep in mind, she's two and a half years younger than me.  All she could do was shrug her shoulders.  If you can believe it, we both fell asleep again.

So imagine my surprise when my sweet little seven year old comes down to tell her Daddy and I that she is putting on a circus show for us as soon as we are done with our shows we are watching.

Her beautiful face all done up in clown make up......that she did with black and red marker.

Did I mention the markers were permanent makers?      Yup, permanent marker.

Can anyone sat Flashback Sunday!!!

This is now the difference in age from when my parents were first parents to the age that Hubby and I are now raising her.  There is a good ten year difference in our age from my parents age then.  There have been countless times that I'm knee-jerk Grateful to be ten years older.  Most of them involve my temper and the fact that if I was ten years younger, and not inside of Positive Living and Gratitude, I would've no doubt done what my parents did that day many years ago.

Instead, all I could do was cover my mouth to keep from hysterically laughing in my sweet Girl's face.  A bit of panic settled into my OCD brain as I swam mentally trying to figure out how on Earth we were gonna get that off her exquisitely beautiful face.  I looked at Hubby, he was trying to see my reaction and when he saw I was trying hard not to laugh out loud......he lost it and laughed so hard I couldn't hold it in anymore.

Naenah was not very happy with us laughing at her.  Then, she thought she was in trouble and started to cry.
I had to explain that we weren't mad, that we were impressed that she showed such initiative, but that she should've asked for make up, stuff that would come off her face more easily.

It took a long twenty minutes with alcohol pads,her laying on the floor in my lap, and very soft easy strokes to remove the marker from her face.  We laughed, giggled, and I told her the story of when I was a kid and her Aunt decided to write on me in my sleep.  Daddy shared a haircut story from his childhood.

I kept thinking, as hard as it is to keep up with Nae, because we are indeed, older parents, THANK YOU for letting me get those ten years that let me get to a giggle instead of anger.   If I learn nothing else this week, this lesson was oh so worth it.

I am Grateful.