Happy Summer 2011

I used to express myself creatively through writing much more than I have in recent months and years. Perhaps it is because there is a finite amount of room/space/time for creative expression, and these days I am so heavily involved in henna and entrepreneurship that there is little time to sit and think in type.

But this morning it is time to write. I'm sitting in the window seat, looking out at the lake across the street with gentle waves interrupting the reflection of the milky grey sky. Downstairs I hear my two Es (Elli 14 and Emmett 4) playing Wii. Clara (9) is industrious in her room, she wants to invite a friend over to play tomorrow. Deven (12) is off somewhere by himself, usual for my dreamer boy. Deven and Elli are writing books this summer, and I am amazed by their ability. Clara is growing in artistic ability every day, and has recently started to use shading techniques and seems to follow in the portrait inclination my Mom and I both leaned toward in our sketching days. Clara loves playing with henna design elements as well and is already quite the henna artist. Emmett is smart as a whip and full of energy and mischief, and empowers himself in lots of ways he shouldn't. He's not about to ask for help or permission, he just does what he wants! ( For example just now he found a bit of thread coming out of the drawer and pulled it out to a length he could loop around Bungee (our cat's) mid section, and watch as the thread grew longer and longer as Bungee moved out of his reach). But he's learning every day about manners and gentleness and acceptable behaviors :).

Yesterday we celebrated Father's Day. We gave Nat decadent breakfast in bed, and presented him with a new backpack stuffed with things needed for a geocacher, complete with coordinates to a cache in a nearby park. Once breakfast was complete we went to hunt the cache, which he found with no problem (next time we'll put on bug repellant before we leave so we can hide it deeper in the forest :). Dad came over in the afternoon and we grilled steak for him (his favorite food) and the kids put on a lunch bag puppet show they wrote in honor of Nat and Grandpa and rehearsed several times.

I was thankful to spend Father's Day with my Dad. Special occasions like this take on layers of meaning now that he has been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. I was happy he felt well enough to spend some hours here, as he hasn't for some time. Illness and death, health and wellness, alternative and traditional medicines... These things are occupying my thoughts and are subjects of my research these days when I can make time. I find it difficult to embrace death as part of life. It does not feel like a natural part of the flow of things, and peace is elusive. I resist accepting, and instead would like to find a way to encourage the body to heal itself.

It is good to have the children around, experiencing the other end of the spectrum where life and ideas and experience are expanding rapidly, and energy is strong and end of days is banished from thought. They are amazing, beautiful, creative, talented, exasperating, energetic, precious children and I am so blessed to be their Mom.

This summer we plan to take advantage of community events in our area like movies and music in the park, hang out at the library and beach, geocache, camp, get together with friends, and I'll take henna to a variety of places. Summer vacation is off to a great start :).