Four years ago this week we were purchasing tickets for what would be our 5th and final visit for Harry. Ironically, this week , President Vladimir Putin signed a bill which bans US families from adopting Russian children. Beyond Sadness. My heart breaks for the children and for the families who have already travelled to meet, and bonded with their kids they've claimed as their own in their hearts...............
that my little boy (although he isn't all that little anymore) who screamed SO loudly and for SO long the first time I introduced him to the concept of a "bath" and "water" in a tiny apartment in Russia, now loves the water. He really loves the water.
Last week he had the chance to try and qualify for the New England YMCA Swim Team Championships to be held at Harvard University on 1 April. Backing up a bit, I should explain that he was selected to be a member of the local YMCA team, The Hurricanes, last September, then spent the fall and winter working on his strokes and technique. The regular season ended a week prior however at this event called the Last Gap, kids from 10 YMCA teams in his division who had not yet qualified to compete at the New Englands but were close to making the time they needed (which depends on age group and stroke) were given one last chance to qualify. Skip's personal best for the breaststroke (which is HIS best stroke right now) was officially 23.72 seconds. Qualifying time was 22.90 seconds. 8/10ths of a second may not sound like alot, but in any competitive event like this, it's a very long time. Skip REALLY wanted to qualify, but we played it down, now wanting him to be disappointed if he didn't.
There were 68 events scheduled that day and Skip's event was #62. A long wait. Very long wait. We watched a few teammates compete in their events to pass the time, ate junk food from the concession stand, talked with other families, and sat around. Waiting. Finally it was time for him to do his thing. We reminded him to keep his focus on the reason he does anything and everything well - God, and to quietly ask His help.
Buzzer went off, the kids were in the water, and Mike, Harry and I watched from the sidelines. I attempted to video tape the entire (<30 seconds) events, but got too excited at one point and forgot to point the camera at the pool. I did recover and catch the end of the event, sorta. He touched the wall, either in first or second position - it was too difficult to tell at our angle - and instantly we looked up at the unofficial clock above the pool. It read 24.00. Not fast enough to qualify. No worries he had a great season and learned so very much. This was truly MY heart at that point. He loved swimming, loved his coaches, and was already looking forward to the Spring Team.
Mike went over to get him and I turned my back and bent down to pick up my backpack and our "junk" before we headed over to meet him. When I stood back up, I realized his coach and several parents from the team were smiling and high-five'n him. Huh? He came running over and hugged me, shouting, "I qualified!" He beamed. I wiped a few tears. He beamed some more. I realized his wet body & swimsuit got me really wet.
We continue to live in a hectic world. Granted we are attempting to simplify, in every way, shape and fashion bu the truth is, habits take time to develop. Alot of time.
These days our evenings are somewhat hectic in that Skip's Swim Team practices take up three of them. Add one evening of Awana for both boys, and our weeknights are shot. The one night that we have off, I try to be a little more creative in my cooking and baking, we attempt to enjoy low key family time. We play board games, we watch family movies, we read more.
While swimming for the regular season is over, Skip was one of four boys selected to represent his division as part of a relay team at the New England Championships and his practice times have shifted. We now have one evening where we double up with Awana, and TWO weeknights where we have NOTHING planned. It's a huge bonus!
On top of that, today we have no schoolwork to do, leaving me with LOTS of time on my hands. As a friend posted on Facebook earlier, there is a difference between having time and being idle. I love have time but not necessarily being idle. Today and tonight we have no commitments, and, it's a good thing. I decided to use some of my time trying out some recipes I found on Pinterest.
Yes, I know I have been MIA for like, forever. It's complicated. Trust me.
But, I was looking at the blog and came across this post from three years ago, almost to the date:
Enjoy!
http://sevenzerozero.blogspot.com/2009/02/in-my-life.html
