Reflections--

It is spring.  Spring = crazy.  

I found myself thinking about everything we had been a part of the last few days this afternoon.

I'm just not a fan of the phrase "it takes a village". Maybe it is because of who I associate that saying with on a national stage.  But, the last few days the villages my little family find ourselves a part of are rather amazing.

Thursday and Friday found me at a "video bootcamp" with Washington Farm Bureau volunteers. Women I'd never met and have know for years that share a huge passion for agriculture, who came together to learn how to share our story. There was even loud, crazy hotel lobby laughing at maybe too late at night.

Friday evening found us at a Washington Junior Angus Field Day.  With Molly and a registered steer in tow we got to see some of our Angus friends.  Cheers to farm dads.  The guys who worked as long as they could, still got the kids to the show, and figured out how to make the last spot left to pen cattle work.  Yes, there was baling twine involved!  

Shows also mean other moms who are willing to braid Molly's hair (I totally fail at this task!), other kids to help clean pens, walk cattle, and the list goes on and on! I realized we've been to enough shows now I actually recognize & can name more kids than not.  Just love that Molly is excited to go to 4H and Junior Angus events because she gets to hang with a different group of kids that are just as cool - and more likely to know about cow licks - than her buddies at school.

The Angus morning that started at 4:15 turned into the opening day baseball/softball parade.  We're blessed with volunteer coaches who received varying degrees of arm twisting to step up.  Maybe for the first time but with the commitment to help our youngsters learn something but have fun and not take the whole thing too seriously.  I guess we aren't overboard about the sports thing since we would rather have the coaches smiling and laughing for our first year sluggers (hitting will come right?).

After appreciating the company of Farm Bureau folks on Thursday and Friday, Angus peeps on Friday and Saturday, I found myself having a little quiet time (I had left all my kids in someone else's care!) enjoying fellow moms in our local community.  Did I talk about different things with each group? Yep!  Were my kids just as comfortable with the kids from each group? Yep!  

So as I listened to the National Anthem and watched our beautiful flag waving in the WIND it just struck me how blessed we are to have so many great people in our lives.  They may run in different and overlapping circles but they make our crazy life so much richer. We greatly appreciate the care and concern so many people around us show for all of us - each in their own way!

I hope you are able to take a moment and reflect on the various people who's life intersects with yours and truly hope you are as blessed with as awesome of people as we are!!