thankful thursday

Today I'm thankful for boring. Mundane. Normal.

We've witnessed, been somehow part of, or heard about many tragedies or general extra-tough stuff the past few days and are thankful that none of them have directly involved us.

• A 12-year-old boy that only lives a few blocks from us {although we didn't know him} died in a tragic accident while playing at the park with a friend. The park we always go to. The park that is nearly in our backyard . . . less than a block from our house.
• A classmate of Lydia's had open heart surgery at Mayo this week.
  
• We were supposed to be getting out-of-town company today {Kirb's brother and his family}, but they had to cancel their trip to attend a funeral. A mother of 3, married to a co-worker of Kirby's brother, who died in a tragic car accident this week. {So, if you want a little get-away -- and you consider staying at a house with 7 crazy people a get-away -- come on over! The sheets are clean, the beds are made the floors and bathroom in the basement are all shiny and cleaner than they've been in quite some time! Clean towels are rolled up decoratively and welcomingly in a basket. I was planning to make yummy muffins for breakfast. Lots of fun plans you could take over if you're interested!}
• My parents couldn't come or go from their house for a while yesterday. The bank a couple blocks from their house in their quiet, "small town" neighborhood in St. Paul was held up. A teller was taken hostage and shots were fired at a police officer. As far as I know, the man still is "at large" {which I have always found to be a funny phrase}.

So, I'm thankful for my routine week. My "bored" kids who think their parents are cruel and unfair to make them do things such as go to bed at a normal hour, not play Wii for hours on end, do a household chore or two here and there and do the equivalent of 10 or 15 minutes of school-ish work each day over the summer. I'm thankful that, although it made me significantly crabby, the worst thing that happened to me yesterday was that a sudden downpour! that came from nowhere while we were driving home from having a little family fun {and checking one more thing off our "summer list"} completely drenching my laundry that was outside "drying." 3 loads of laundry. Most of it folded and in piles on the picnic table next to my clothesline waiting for owners of the clean clothes to take their "stack" to their room and put it away. The work I'd spent nearly my entire day doing! In the grand scheme of things, that's nothing. Nothing at all! The funeral for Carter {the little boy who died less than a block from my house a few days ago, who could have just as easily been one of my kids. Or one of yours.} starts in less than 3 hours and will be taking place at the church about 12 houses down the block from here. Excuse me while I go hug my kids and quit complaining about my wet laundry! Our deepest sympathies, thoughts and prayers are with Carter's family and all who knew and loved him.