This is a 100% true story.  I have to premise this post with that proviso because my kids tell me I have a tendancy to exagerate on occassion.

This last weekend I got into a really grumpy mood.  I felt crummy and overwhelmed by the chores and unfinished projects in our “It’s a Wonderful Life” fixer upper home.  There are windows that should be replaced – trim that still needs repainting – the floors need to be refinished – trim around the base of walls that is missing and needs to be replaced – a bathroom remodel that is going on year 3 – the kitchen floor needs to be replaced – the dishwasher broke and has been removed but not replaced yet – carpets need updating – work needs to be done in the yard – laundry – upstairs bathroom could use a new floor – there is a patch of the ceiling above the dining room table that should really be replaced – the fireplace doesn’t work.  That’s just for starters.  Then there is the general maintenance stuff that was calling out to me.

On top of all that it had just sunk in that my oldest was now officially off to college for an entire week and was doing just fine.  I started having a little bit of a pitty party for myself and went downstairs to grab the 5th load of laundry out of the dryer and brought it up to the dining room table that was serving as our folding station.

Just then our second oldest came in with friends and they came in to say hi – one friend sat down with me while the others went outside to help Tom with something in the backyard.  We chatted for a second when my sons friend just blurted out ( seemingly out of nowhere ) “I just love coming over to your house – the minute you walk in you know that a family lives here and you feel right at home”.

Suddenly, it seemed as though all was right with the world.  We can get to the fixing of the things but I don’t want to miss out on the living that is going on right now.  This is a family house with all it’s imperfections and projects that need to be finished.

I think I know which angel was watching out for me this last weekend – telling me I am on the right path and to not get sidetracked by all the little thing;  Enjoying the moments together, working together, playing together, and celebrating life.  Thanks to my guardian angel for knowing just exactly when I needed a little boost.

Typography

This is possibly my favorite picture of all time.

We have all sort of wondered what is really going on behind those closed door sessions of our legislative branch of government. Where all of the important issues are debated and laws that impact everyones lives are voted on and become a part of our daily life. Where new taxes and new programs that are critical to our very existance are decided.

As the House convenes to vote on a new budget for the fiscal year in the Capitol, in Hartford, Conn., Monday, Aug., 31, 2009, you can clearly see that some of the reps would rather play solitaire or check their email or even catch up on the most recent baseball stats.

Perhaps we, as the constituents, should insist on a simple 5 to 10 question test about each new piece of legislation that is up for a vote. Each representative must pass the short test with 85% accuracy before being allowed to vote on the new legislation. This way they couldn’t just vote the way their buddy is voting but they would have to actually know what they are voting about.

Yes, this would slow down the wheels of government even more and create even a few more jobs ( we would have to hire a team of official test developers and implementators ). But that might NOT be such a bad thing either.