Look Up. Find the Joy. Day #2.

Parachute Packers.

It's nice to wake up early sometimes and get a start on the day before the craziness begins.  I've done that the last few days. But it was so great this morning to hear the boys wake up while I was still laying in bed and have them come snuggle under the covers with me and tell me about their dreams as we giggled ourselves awake.  Those days when they were teeny and I had been up feeding them all night and I thought I was going to DIE of sleep deprivation?  Well, they were worth it.  Even just for that 10 minutes.  :)

Also, I found joy in feeling gratitude for my "parachute packers."  Go read this article for a more detailed explanation of what that means, but basically a Vietnam War fighter pilot one day got to meet the sailor who had packed his parachutes years ago and it really made him think about all the people in his life who worked
to do amazing things for him that he may not ever have thanked or even noticed.   

He says:   

"How about the person who helped you learn to read? To ride a bicycle? To hit a baseball? What about the adults who volunteered in youth groups in which you were involved? The person who gave you a recommendation for college, or the person who helped to get you in the door for a job interview?
There are many parachute packers in our lives. Spouses, parents, grandparents, teachers, pastors and friends. Mothers who packed our lunches every day and carefully washed and prepared our clothes for school. Fathers who worked longer hours or took a second job so that we could have music or dance lessons. Grandparents who helped us pay for college education. They all labored tirelessly, packing our parachutes."

So the first time I thought about that idea today was this morning when my blood sugar was low-- and instead of eating crusty, old, glucose tablets that have been in the car for at least a year (like I have been since we moved a month ago), I went out to the fridge and had some chilled apple juice that Kyle had specifically bought for me and thought to even refrigerate as a nice favor before he left.  It was just a little bitty nice thing to do, but it put a giant smile on my face, even while I was lightheaded and anxious. It's really neat to be the beneficiary of some else's thoughtfulness.


A little while later, as I was doing laundry, I decided to fold a load of my mom's since she was at work.  I can't tell you how great it felt to be doing her laundry!  After 7 years of marriage and 2 kids I have a totally different appreciation for all of the clothes my mom washed and folded for me while I was off taking piano lessons and playing soccer and running student council meetings.  I felt a surge of gratitude for all of the mundane and yet incredibly important and meaningful little tasks my mom did for me while I was growing up.  

She packed a lot of parachutes for me.  :)   
So today I found joy in folding one teeny load of laundry for her.