Setting the Home Table: Chasing Rainbows

“She comes in colors everywhere… she’s like a rainbow….” The Rolling Stones

It has been far too long since I have attempted to capture the shifting hues of our daily life. I have sat down no fewer than a dozen times with intentions of writing- only to get lost in the next thing. It may be February but I am making the belated resolution to slow down, and both enjoy and preserve the moments of our accelerating life.

Lila's 6th Birthday Fairy Luncheon

Since I last wrote, Lila completed Kindergarten and has officially reached the 100 days mark of 1^sGrade; as any parent knows a day worthy of great fanfare and celebration. In between these scholastic transitions, we headed to Michigan at the end of last May to celebrate Grauntie’s retirement, Lila returned to Camp Cricket for a summer of swimming, tennis and golf,and was bestowed the title of “Little Miss Responsibility” at the end of season banquet (we think it may have been because she brought her handy first aid kit to camp every day). And of course we cannot forget the magical Fairy Tea luncheon given to celebrate Lila’s 6^th birthday. We punctuated summer with a return to Cape Cod with Grama for another blissful vacation filled with ocean waves and epic sunsets.

As I think about all that has transpired since my last post, I realize that it is time for a shift- six years ago this blog started as a place to document the moments and the milestones- first words, Lila’s weight and height. Today we begin a new chapter. I have promoted Lila. When I took on a new role with my company last year Greg and I discussed how we would need to work harder than ever to balance work and life, what I did not consider then was the role that Lila would play in this team effort. When Lila was young, a very wise parent (how I wish I could remember who) said to me, “when you want your child to do something- make them feel like you need them on the team…..make it a game.” When Lila was very young and we were trying to get out of the door in the morning – we would do just that. I would tell Lila that she needed to be on our team and boy did she jump in. Now as the shot clock seems to be ticking louder than ever we have asked Lila to step up and she has become our MVP. When the alarm goes off in the morning we all hit the court and our littlest player knows her position and where to play. I come downstairs to a girl not only ready for school- but a girl who has put her breakfast dishes in the sink, brushed her teeth, coat on and ready to hit it. Now, yes we do live in the reality that some days the wheels fall off, but the big win is that our little girl has advanced her position and recognizes the heavy role she plays in our family dynamic.

The shifting dynamic I witness each day is also filtered by the new dimensions I see emerging in our little girl. Whether she is grabbing the microphone for an impromptu rap or tickling the ivories on our new piano, music has found its way into Lila’s daily rhythm. At our most recent meeting with Lila’s teacher we were informed that when Lila doesn’t feel like focusing on the assignment at hand she often just starts singing- it seems to be her Zen- we just need to help her channel it. In her weekly piano lessons I have learned from her instructor Larry, that Lila, while still fresh to the keys, seems to be particularly good at picking out her own tunes. So what an appropriate surprise, that when In honor of black history month, when each of the girl’s in the SCH 1^st grade class will be assuming the role of an African American figure, Lila was given Alicia Keyes- a bit of a lucky draw for a girl, who at least for now, is most happy when she is singing.

I will continue to track Lila’s growth chart- a little while longer (or as long as she will let me keep it on her wall), but now the growth is so much more than numbers and words. It is watching Lila learn how to read words and music, tie her shoes, and land a cartwheel. It is hearing her songs, laughter and her questions about everything from God to electricity, and also realizing that Lila has begun to learn things that she now teaches me.

So while it has been awhile, I will leave it with this, while like all parents we have days where Lila pushes us beyond places we thought she ever would, and challenges our patience to its limits, I am grateful for all of the moments, for it is the tough ones that make us treasure the sweet. In the hectic hurry hurry, when it sure doesn’t feel like a game, there is no one more I would rather have on my team then Lila.

We have a little girl who has grown ….

…so tall

…so smart

…so curious

….so wise

…so lyrical

She laughs, she sings....