Lots of New

Today is one of those on-the-cusp-of-new-things kind of day. Fall officially feels "in the air," with the nights being worthy of a warm blanket (yet windows still open for the crisp air); mornings are chilly and, for my lounging kids, also blanket-worthy. I love this weather with a passion -- it's blood-stirring, invigorating, inspiring. Aidan's getting into the spirit too, helping me drag out our bin of fall decorations and instructing me where to put the various pumpkins and scarecrows. I'm not quite ready to purchase mums and real pumpkins for the yard, as our summer flowers are still hanging in there. A new season is right around the corner.

It's Don's birthday, too -- the start of a new year for him. Since we are short in the income department, he handed me his birthday list, knowing I could only splurge on one small item. His list was comprised only of records ... you know, the old vinyl discs that look like giant frisbees (his latest "hobby"). I admit, the record I selected is the only one that I would want to listen to (Ella Fitzgerald), and thankfully it was the most inexpensive one, too. My task today is to wrap it and get a card, and consider Aidan's request to make a Clifford cake. I have two packages of chocolate cake mix and giant cannister of white icing, but I'm not sure if I'm handy enough with a knife to carve out the face of Clifford. Aidan wants to buy his Daddy a Blue Power Ranger, too -- I wonder if he'll buy our position that we're low on funds ...

Don also starts his new job today ... hallelujah! His new boss picked him up early this morning to bring him to the shop, and I'm curious to ask him what the commute was like (considering it's on a yucky, busy highway crammed with other commuters). I'm confident he'll do well -- he certainly knows what he's doing. My prayer for him is that on this verge of "new" -- a new year, a new job -- that this year will be filled with abundant blessings and a happiness that he hasn't felt in a long, long time.

A new thing for Aidan, too ... he has allergies. We've suspected this for awhile, and my sister-in-law -- who is a sufferer, as is her oldest boy -- has been telling me this too, as she can definitely see the signs. This was unofficially confirmed by the pediatrician last week, when she identified the dark circles under his eyes, that had just start to sprout, as "allergy shiners." A few days ago he was up for a good chunk of the night, crying because he was so congested, and during the day his glassy eyes and stuffy nose (not to mention his cranky attitude) make it pretty clear that my boy now joins the ranks of allergy sufferers. I am not one of those individuals -- never have been in my life -- so I feel quite helpless, not truly understanding how my little guy feels and somewhat at a loss how to help him. I guess a trip to CVS is in order ...

A beautiful new thing formed this weekend, too, that warmed those proverbial cockles. My college roommate and her family came to visit, and it was such a joy to spend time with them. That's a "new" for us, too -- after many years of living so far apart that communication was only through email and telephone, having gone without physically seeing each other for many years -- we now live close enough to enjoy the occasional get-together, and for me that's a tremendous gift. But it now extends beyond that, as we witnessed two little souls bonding in that perfect, pure way that only children can muster. Her daughter and my son, only a year apart (she the older of the two), instantly clicked and dove into their own little world of adventure and exploration around our house, our yard, at the falls, at the nature center -- wherever we went. Just listening to their little voices blend, their little personalities mesh, their little imaginations interacting was so cool for me. There's something really beautiful about generational friendships like that -- parents sharing and passing it on to their kids. I want to see this flourish, this new piece of beauty in their lives (and ours).

It's Monday, the start of a new week, and Aidan's second week of school. Lots of "new" in front of us, and it has that exciting, tingly kind of feeling attached to it. I wonder what this leg of the journey will unfold ...