There are so many stories to share some funny, some sad, some with big lessons to learn. As the boys were growing up it seemed at that time they would always be burn into my brain. As time has passed some 35 yrs now those stories are not as abundant as they once were. Which means they have faded into days past. At some point maybe they will surface again while going over things. I sure hope so.

Even answering this question I smiled because I remembered the feeling there were so many of them yet I could only instantly recall one. It was your story that jogged my memory of how special that day was. These are the things that should not be lost forever. These stories and memories are the glue that holds families together.

This is one of the memories that may have been lost if it had not been for you sharing.

It was a typical Oct morning getting the kids off for school. Breakfast, lunches made, backpacks by the door, making bed, feeding pets and yes running late to the bus stop. Luckily that was only 2 blocks away.

As I am doing the morning drill and barking orders hurrying every one along. My youngest son (5)dropped his back pack spilling the contents all over the floor. Feeling myself ready to go off the deep end I stepped out the back door barking out “well don’t stand there crying about it handle it I will wait for you out here” I felt so bad. I wished there was a way we could have a slow easy morning just once.

I started pacing back and fourth waiting as my oldest (9) says “mom you are stressing how about I go help pick the stuff up so we don’t miss the bus.” What a sweet boy. With guilt swelling inside me wondering how on earth do I change this horrid morning routine I walked around the corner to the back of the house. I was going to take inventory of the yard and garden work that needed to be done. That’s when I walked into a part of an old spiders web.

At first I was irritated because I had thought I had just swept them all off to get ready for the big house painting project. As I bent over to pull the web out of my hair something caught my eye. A sparkle. There was a dew drop covered spider web. My first reaction was oh like diamonds shining in the sun. Raised my hand to knock it down and saw this sider in the middle making repairs. I was eye to eye with that spider and her web.

Now normally I would have screamed and ran to find a stick because I was always scared to death of spiders. It was different this time. I could see the magic. Her web had been partially destroyed and she was just building it back. I felt all the rush of the morning leave my body. My shoulders came out of my ears and I smiled. I felt a tug on the back of my jacket “mom we are ready to go”.

Putting my arms around both boys I said “no hurry today we are going to stand here and watch the magic” My oldest was very afraid of spiders much like myself. He stood close clinging to my side just watching. He says ” mom you know those drops of water look like a pirate treasure of gems.” My youngest says “look that spider is pooping out string! I didn’t know spiders lived in a house made of poop”

We stood there watching until she had completed her new web. Then we watched her catch a bug. We finished up by going into the house and having some hot coco and talking about what we had saw. My oldest says ” spiders still scare me but as long as they stay in their house it’s ok. Can we do this every morning cuz this is a good way to start the day” Course my youngest blurts out ” it’s a good way to miss the bus” Oh well sometimes you just gotta miss the bus every once in awhile.

Not every morning had that magic but when it got to crazy I could remember and say time to watch the webs. We did take time on the way to the bus stop to look at things. Like a slug eating a leaf. An ant carrying a huge load.

They both at one point remembered that time we were late and missed the bus. They didn’t remember what a crazed stressed out mom I was well at least that morning. But when I said ” well some say you gotta stop and smell the roses in this family we say you gotta stop and watch the spider spin her web” They didn’t get it. They had forgotten. But then so had I. Well misplaced the memory. Thanks for helping me find it.