The Importance of What's Important

Have you ever felt like your life is running you instead of you running your life? That's where I've been the last few weeks. Time to reflect on the chaos and confusion that the latest drama creates is non-existent. Only because the moment I start to actually think about what is happening, my mind begins to travel in a direction I'm not ready to visit and I have to divert it with mundane tasks. Writing is not mundane. It requires creativity and focus, neither of which are byproducts of what I like to call "Jen's episodes." Therefore, I have been missing from my own blog. Absent from cyberspace, you might say, while dealing with MY space.

Most of you know we have been caught up in a whirlwind experience with the success of Hunter's football team here in Mt. Angel, and the state playoff final. I say it like that because what you may not know is that the game is small piece of what goes into such a remarkable event. Team dinners, travel planning, practices, parties, parent meetings, poster making, and so much more. While on the journey, we all experienced excitement, stress, anticipation, worry, anxiety, joy, and sadness. The team became stronger, the parents more dedicated, and the town of Mt. Angel was bursting with pride.

Someone said to me the other day a phrase we've all heard, "What matters is the little things...." and while initially it sounded trite I began later to reflect on such a simple statement. I thought carefully about the last few weeks and exercised my memory for a list of "the little things". I pieced together moments that brought clarity to life minus the elaborate build up or let down of a big game, a teenage melodrama, or holiday preparation.

Here are a few highlights:
Hunter showing Sailor (after months of persistent begging on her part) to putt
An afternoon walk on a sunny afternoon to catch up with a friend
Rod re-connecting with his brother and Mom for chats about football and updates on life
Phoebe and I accompanying one another (piano, guitar) playing holiday songs
Sailor saying, "Hunter, you're a football star and I'm a rock star."
Phoebe confidently perched on the piano bench with her friend teaching her to play a song
Hunter kneeling with his football helmet in hand shedding tears after the final game

The Trojans lost the state championship game 7-14. While it was sad, when I look back that's certainly not what I will remember about October-December 2009. The growth that happened in our family despite our own personal contests and the maturity of the football players through their phenomenal season are both, for lack of a better word, priceless.