These are the days.

I pottered in my kitchen preparing dinner and cooking lunchbox goodies, thankful that it's Wednesday. On Wednesday's I don't have to take Davey to any lessons, groups, sports, and I love it. (Zinni goes to the gym, but hurrah! she has a licence so drives herself.)

I was about to turn the kitchen tv on so I could watch the local news while I cooked, when Zinni settled in to her desk. The desk I bought for her, and placed on the other side of the kitchen counter because she loves to have someone near as she studies. Zinni's in her last year of school and is taking her study seriously. I have a stand offish approach to school work. I might ask my children (well, these days, just Davey) if they have homework, then I leave it up to them. If they don't do it they wear the consequences at school and on their their teacher's mark sheets. Now that Zinni is focused and self disciplined, I know that my strategy has worked for at least 50% of my children! Anyway, back to the kitchen and wanting to watch the local news. I looked at Zinni and realised I didn't want to break her concentration. Zinni would not object to me putting the news on, but she would be distracted by it. So, I reminded myself that I could check the news on line later. The study time couldn't be replaced, the news could be, and this was an easy contribution to make to Zinni's study effort.

I was content with my thoughts, when Davey walked through the kitchen to the next room where the piano is (the rooms are separated by a large archway and the piano is visible from the kitchen). As he began playing my spirits lifted. Davey plays beautifully. He doesn't play in public, that's not his thing. He plays for sheer joy. Not just mine either, his as well!

So there I was cooking away, Zinni was plying her mind to her books, Davey his fingers to the piano keys, and life felt all right. I wasn't foregoing or sacrificing anything. I was living; and living surrounded by love and beauty.

These, these are the days my friends.