A reminder

Yesterday our neighborhood association organizer stopped by as I was mowing the lawn. She's a nice lady... really. It's only a neighborhood association in the loosest sense of the word. She means well and has gotten things for the neighborhood. Those speed bumps on our street? She had a hand in that. This lady goes around organizing things. Last week, they got a city dumpster and had a special brush/ bulky item collection. An extra opportunity to clean up the neighborhood? I am so on board with that. When they tell you what color you can paint your house or not work on you car in the driveway, that's where I draw the line.

The reason I'm mentioning this? She said very simply, 'You should be very proud of what you've accomplished after all you've gone through.' We've known each other for many years and she knows my back story. Matter of fact, she's had a front row seat just by living next door to my sister. (Did I mention my sister at one time lived 11 doors down the street from me?) She proceeded to praise the job my wife and I have done raising our daughters and dealing with the hand L ife has dealt us. This was a case of not seeing the forest for the trees.  Life may not have turned out the way I planned, I may gripe about the bad stuff, but it felt good having a person remind me of all the good things that my wife and I have accomplished.