Sunday Gratitude – 15.VI.2025

Happy Fathers Day! To all the fathers, grandfathers, spiritual fathers, and all those who have stepped in as fathers as the need has arisen – you all are amazing! The relationship I had with my dad from the time I was 13 was both non-existent and awful, and I am so much in debt to good men who were examples of who good men are and who helped keep me from getting too far off the rails. None of them were perfect people, but my gratitude for them is eternal!

Although school has been over for my younger kids since May, my oldest had school until this past Thursday. I can’t tell you how thankful I am for the school year to be over. I put 15,000 miles on my car this school year, and I am so incredibly tired of all the driving. I am thankful that there were no major incidents, and I am thankful that it all kind of worked out. This coming week is soccer camp, but I am looking forward to days where the car can just sit for awhile and I don’t have to go anywhere.

The weather this year has been incredibly cool; we’ve only had one day above 80℉, and many, many where it’s struggled to get up to 60℉. I always remember being lilacs being an April or early May flower in Chicago as a kid; now I’m enough north of there that the timetable is a little behind that, but this year, we’re just kind of wrapping up the lilacs now. It’s crazy! I’ve done a little bit of work in the yard, but it hasn’t been as pressing being as all the plants are behind. I know I’ve mentioned my neighbor and the grass before, but I tried to give him a gift card for his trouble, and not only would he not take it, but he told me not to worry about mowing for right now, that he’d take care of it. Wow.

One of the good things about the cool weather is that it makes biking more fun. 🙂 I’ve taken the bike out three times in the last couple of weeks, and it’s been amazing. I am out of shape and out of practice, but I used to go around on the bike all the time, and there’s muscle memory there, and it’s still glorious to ride. This past Thursday, I went 11 miles or so and it didn’t kill me. (Apart from being sore, it all went remarkably well.) I also met a friend along the way, and we ended up chatting for a good long while, which was also a lot of fun. I’m still fighting the bike more than I should, but with some more work, that will probably subside. I’d love to bike to church at some point this summer, but it’s 14-16 miles each way, which certainly isn’t impossible, but there’s the coming back that’s an issue. I haven’t done rides like that – there and back – since before I had kids… I was doing rides in the 14-16 mile range a couple of years ago, but I didn’t even take my bike out at all last year. I’m just grateful for the opportunity to be able to do these things when I can.

I also am grateful that I found the one little thing that was missing from the trail-a-long bike on ebay for a really reasonable price! Hopefully this will be an encouragement to go out on the bike with the kids!

I was in the car yesterday, and I ended up thinking about what the “plan” might be in the next few months and getting overwhelmed by the thought. I looked up, and there was a little thing right in front of me that the saint to whom I feel closest (yes, St. Alexander) was reminding me that he’s looking out for me and that I shouldn’t get caught up in worrying about what things are going to look like in the fall. Maybe it sounds silly, or it sounds like superstition, but it’s happened so many times in very specific moments, that I don’t think it is, and I am ever grateful for his prayers.

I’ve been grateful for a couple of days here just to wind down and be quiet, listen to some Beach Boys music as well as other things.

Thank you all for being here.