Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Wellness Wednesday: Sense of Thankfulness


Hey! Isn't Blogville' just so filled with thankfulness this season?

Every click I make leads me from one pretty thankful post to another. Speaks volumes to me really because never before has the spirit of thankfulness been so present in my life than today. I have much...so much to be thankful for. In fact, if thankfulness were a person...an entity...then I would have to say that she has plopped into my home for well over a year. I am overwhelmed.

I'm not hypo happy saying that this year didn't drizzle us with a mighty good share of challenges...Oh' yeah'.....drizzle it deed! Buuut.....on the other end, good things have been dropping a bushel and heap one on top of another. Seems like the plowing and sowing and planting that my husband has been doing in the past...all those sleepless nights of bleary non stop work... well..let's just say that his field is ripe for harvest. And harvest we shall do come December. Truly, I am grateful.

More than the harvest of goods however...is the the harvest of peace and fulfillment that has made its fruition in our lives visible last Sunday evening.

You see, that evening, my family and I had dinner ( buffet!!!!) at a famous restaurant over here (Kamayan at the Glorietta). Welp', after gobbling down several rounds of the most tantalizingly sinful array of native dishes, we hied off to a nearby coffee shop in hopes, probably, that the coffee would break down the platefuls of everything we greedily chowed..he!he!he!

So there we were, the four of us seated in a comfy corner sipping the steaming drink when out of the blue my 16 year old son wisely announces that he intends to get married around the age his dad and I did; the ripe old age of 21. I almost choked on my coffee.

"Did he just say he wants to violently hurl himself off a cliff during a thunderstorm?!" I incredulously asked his dad. In my mind I was begging my hubby to...um'...."do something about this....faaast!!" Meanwhile, my oldest son apparently found all these outrageously hilarious and had the silliest time chuckling to himself...

As for me...gawd'.....you should have seen how my eyes almost bounced off my head. My husband was of course cool and composed and simply asked the boy what made him think that. The latter went on to explain that he wants to make sure his kids were as grown up as he and his brother are by the time he hits our age right now. He went on to expound on how he thinks it would be more convenient and fun to have grown up kids in our age.

His dad listened and went on to explain how different our past circumstances were from them, and not only that, but how we had to endure so many many difficulties we could have avoided had we married later...even the moments of bickering and fights.

"You had that?"...My son asked.

Now this surprised me really. I know that sometimes they see their dad and I engage in a bit of a tuff'...but to have my son's mind anchored on the good days that he sees between his parents was something that moved me. At this point we both explained what we had to go through and experience, and how maturity in choosing the right person figures into happiness for the rest of your life. "More than that, sacrifice is so much a part of being together," we belted.

We ended by assuring him that being married later on in life, when he is well established emotionally and financially, will result to even better "fun" times for him.

Walking a couple of steps back from the boys on the way to the car...my husband and I looked at each other and sighed in relief. Never before had we been more keenly conscious of thankfulness. We know our story very well. We know what we went through.We know how everything had been...and to hear our son actually validate that he sees our family as something to be emulated gave us both, at that very moment, a great grounding sense of Wellness.

6 comments:

..................... said...

see, luxie..
your youngest son looks at his parents and sees a happy and successful marriage and wants the same for himself.
21 does seem awfully young though, but not really younger than 23.
this is what my sons would have to say:
wow, i want to meet somebody at 23, go out with them for a month, move in together, live together for 8 years, find yourself pregnant, decide mayhaps it's time to get married after all and then go on and continue to be married for 16 years or so with hopefully many, many more years to come.. (oh, and let's not leave out the 2nd child which came 6 years after the 1st one.

ps: it's always good to count one's blessings.
xo

Tea said...

Hi Luxie :)

Beautiful words....

tea
xo

Flea said...

Luxie!! I thought you were taking some time off, I popped in to see what's going on and then noticed again I missed soooo many posts!!
I laughted at this one!! I also got married young and I hope my kids don't do the same.
Great to see ya back!!

Mayden' s Voyage said...

You made me cry :) (good tears)
Sigh...
The other day my kids were talking about a friend who has a love/hate relationship with her mom.
I said,laughingly, "I'm SURE there are days when both of you hate me!"

In unison- with nothing short of shock in both their voices- T and J said,
"Mom- we've NEVER hated you- ever!"

I cried then too-
I was teasing...we don't "hate" anyone (it's a word none of us are allowed to use in regards to other people)- but still- they are teens...I know I'm a pain to live with- but the fact they were kind of upset that I even made the suggestion---
and I thanked them for saying that.

Oh friend- I'm thankful...harried, crazy, out of sorts, and tired- but who could ask for more than what I have?

Hugs and love to you~ and your family :)

HLiza said...

Oh it must be tough raising young adults! We always thought we should marry even later than we did..we did at 26..which was considered an old age by my mom..we were still unstable in many ways actually. I even told my sis..if you don't really find the right person..then don't get married! I think I can tell my kids that too one day..it's such a big sacrifice and commitment..

exskindiver said...

what nice thoughts from your son.