Ritual

While I slowed down the pace of my own life – reducing my attendance at events, meals or drinks with friends, parties, and traveling – my family’s calendar got a bit more complicated.

The children have karate and Mad Science and flag football and CCD classes and now baseball and basketball and soon there may also be tennis and golf.  Stewart’s daily schedule varies based on his classes and department meetings and office hours.

As crazy as it seems, there is comfort in shepherding my family through a week of all that activity.  On any given day, I know where I have to be, what I have to bring, and how much time I have to prepare dinner at the end of it all.

On weekends after Kyle’s flag football games we drive to the ice cream shop on the way home.  Brady always gets a rainbow sherbet cone with a side of gummi bears.  Stewart gets a smoothie.  I get something with peanut butter and chocolate.  Kyle has been experimenting with sundaes.

On Sunday we go to church at 10am.  The children whine and moan but we don’t argure, we just put them in the car.  Afterwards, we eat an early lunch.

It’s the same every week – the four of us in the car, experiencing life together, knowing what to expect.  That’s a huge gift in a world that hurls unpleasant surprises at us every day.