Dragon Hunting

This is the year, that the presents will be wrapped early, that Mom and Dad will spend Christmas week and especially the Eve praying and entering into the real gift of the season. So that is the plan. So Mom is trying to achieve the plan...with a long history of staying up too late Christmas Eve and being tired on Christmas. So far, the kids have kept us super busy, and so have the few things we try to do for others, and of course the wonderful baby.  Making and delivering cookies for the piano teacher, and the neighbors/friends too. Hosting  some family, and in between the baby. Really I think I could do it all without the baby. I might even be rested. But I'd rather have a baby and do everything pretty well, or some things not at all and be tired, and covered in recycled milk. The baby reminds me this was a mudsplashed event, this birth in Bethlehem.

So to add to our busy schedule we found this week the dryer blew an element and was no longer working.  The same morning this happened the baby fussed most of the night, and Mommy woke feeling like she never slept at all. She forgot about rehearsal for the Christmas pageant and the basketball practice that day. And when the beautiful cards arrived in the mail from friends looking rested, and ready for their restful Christmas, she did the sensible thing, and cried. Earlier when the five year old tried out telling a tall tale and stubbornly refused to tell the truth over a silly matter (scribbling on a book) she put her in her room for a long time:  longer than she probably needed, but not as long as she really wanted to (the whole day looked good.) Well one much needed nap later, and a good night's sleep later,  we are seeing order emerge. Mom likes it when she isn't overwhelmed by the tide of cooking, laundry, cleaning, wrapping. Four kids brings a tide. Home educating brings the tide of busy without quiet. Mom likes life busy, and likes to work hard, but order and occasional quiet brings tranquility, and sometimes it's just too much when we are going too many directions without sleep.

So tonight with a little rest under her, Mom had a renewed spark, absent as the past few  months have gone by, and decided it was time to go dragon hunting. So in the dark and balmy rain (feels wonderfully like Seattle right now in the 50's) we headed out on a Winter's solstice evening in the to hunt dragons with two five year olds armed with flashlights and active imaginations. It was wonderful, it was joyful puddle jumping, imagining dragon prints and sounds, and dragon interests. It was a time of giggles and Christmas lights only added to the fun. And somewhere in the wet puddles and ardent searches for our dear dragon in the large fields near our house, I felt the world was right and good. The disorder of shopping and wrapping and burden to do or get something visible to show others what is really intangible, was soothed. Returning to the fun of childhood, is the best part of being a parent.  It goes to fast, and we don't get to enjoy it enough. The weight of adulthood will be upon them before they know it, and dragon hunting, and puddle jumping together will not happen. Carefree moments will become more effortful or at least scheduled.  Years from now, they won't remember if the house was clean, and all the laundry done, or if we had the most wonderful food. But if I'm lucky they might remember hunting for the neighborhood dragon and nighttime walks under the wet night sky. They might remember Mom laughing and being silly and know she too knew how to play and be, and how very loved they were. So I pray. The ever so important dryer is fixed, the presents are almost all done and wrapped, and most of all, our lives and hearts are slowing down to prepare for the child who changed everything.