A day off

I am not exactly thrilled that I am awake at this time of day. Even when I don't hear my son get out of bed, my mommy senses start tingling that something is out of sorts in the house and I get up. So at 6:00am I took a walk around the house...yes, the perimeter was secure and yes, my son was in the living room...
"You need to go back to bed...quickly." Said with all the authority of a freshly woken bear.
He did but woke up the dog in the process, who then need to be let out of the kennel...coffee is on...blog to write...bills to pay...Okay, I am awake.
Kick the dog and spit in the fire, yes, I am awake.
The day ahead will be one full of "can we do's"?
Caity, my second oldest, has joined CAP also known as the Civil Air Patrol...why? Why not?
She loves it and the kids are wonderful, not to mention the leaders. But being a volunteer is not a free activity.
While John and I are at the cross roads of career and lifestyle choices, our kids are just trying to be kids...and that does not come free.
Being the second oldest means that Caity has often played second fiddle to her older sister, Liz...you know the fiddle I am talking about, the one neither of them ever played but insisted they would. Thank God our middlest daughter Brennan loves and plays everyday. Did I write that to the tune of the Can-can? I constantly have visions of scantily clad chorus girls kicking their heals in a rhythmic "Da,na,na,na,na,na,na,na,na,na,na,na,na,na..."But way slower.
Sorry, I got distracted by the music in my head.
What was I saying?
Oh, yes, my Caity and CAP.
Caity is my tall, hazel eyed, beauty that is in high honors, loves like no one I know and asks for almost nothing ever. She is my second hand Rose as it were and she has some amazing abilities.
When she was very little I watched her on the beach one day. Caity was having so much fun in the sand and the serf, other kids were just drawn to be near her. That is Caity. There is no ulterior motive in her fun, she just is fun.
And because she is so stinken smart, we all tease her every time she does something not so smart.
Me: "Caity, how many ounces in a cup?"
Caity: "I don't know Mom. I guess it depends on the size of the cup."
Me: "Come let me kiss you honey. Does it hurt, when you use your brain?"
And so we laugh with her about her and the rest of us...a lot.
It is because she asks for almost nothing (except for the time she was very upset with me over not having a cooler cell phone...but that was mostly hormone related, so I let it slide. Notice how well I let it slide as I have just added it here!) I want to give her the CAP experience.
Today we buy her uniform and tonight I let her go away with her squadron for a CAP conference in Lake George, NY. We can alter the budget accordingly. Caity gets to go.
There is something very tender in my heart towards a child who loves just because she can.
It's not based in perfect parenting...Oh, how I wish I could take credit for such a loving heart! Caity simply has a relationship with our God that I can not begin to understand. It is as if she were set apart at birth...now that sounds like a mom who is just bragging on her kid if ever I heard one! But she is set apart in tenderness that has taken only training by her folks. The reality to it is that it was all in there to start with. Strong willed, yes. But somehow that strong will has translated into strong love. I can only give credit for that to her Abba.
(1 John 4:19)"We love because He first loved us."
I had intended for this to be more of a gripey post but it appears as if love won out!