Spontaneity

Before I married Layne I was quite an unstructured creature. Spontaneous, I like to call it. I did what I felt inclined to do, rather than follow any kind of actual plan. Then came Layne. He was Mr. Structure himself. He had lists and schedules that were not to be meddled with. That was a learning curve for me. I admired it from afar for awhile, but I couldn't help being influenced by all that planning. Over time I morphed into a girl quite tied to a schedule. I never would have recognized my more structured self in my earlier times. Now my children actually complain that I am not very flexible!

So I hope you will be amazed and impressed when I confess to not just one, but two examples of spontaneity this week. I have been working off of lists and schedules all week. In spite of what I have become in the way of organized, it is hard for me to stick with extreme structure. But this week I did. And I accomplished a lot. Until this weekend. Audrey decided to drive to Brentwood to visit son Reed and family on Saturday. On a whim, I decided to abandon my list and go with her. This is big for me. We spent the afternoon driving and visiting with Reed and Dorothy. It was such fun! I have forgotten how it is to just do something fun on the spur of the moment. There is something about it that generates a bit of excitement and unpredictability. I liked it. Then Ben called and asked me to attend his Sacrament meeting, to watch their 5 children while they both gave talks. Well, I had a schedule that doing that would interrupt. But I went. And took granddaughter Allegra with me. All on the spur of the moment. Again, it was fun, and worth what I didn't get done, for what I did. I loved hearing the kid's talks, in between caring for babes; they are both excellent speakers. We made it home in plenty of time for our own Church meetings. That just goes to show that making time for the people in our lives trumps the stuff in our lives just about every time. I'll get to the stuff in good time.

Layne and I hosted an empty nest Family Home Evening on Monday night. I cooked dinner for everyone and then we had a sweet message from one of our group. I guess I like hosting. I don't even mind the cooking. It was such fun for me to have friends over. The evening was especially sweet because it was warm outside and a full moon lent a lovely glow all over our yard. As folks left, that sweetness enveloped us all. Nature has such gifts to give, if we just notice.

We attended another wedding reception on Friday. One of the latest things at receptions these days, I am told, is a photo booth for guests to use. There was one there, so Layne and I had our pictures taken in a booth much like those we had fun with in former days at fairs and parks. Here you see one of our snaps. Shown also is Mom's dining room set, which she gave to Audrey. Mom has trouble doing that, as I've mentioned before. I'm anxious to show her how her furniture looks in Audrey's space. I hope she'll be pleased.