What makes a family?

Once a week for two and a half years I spent with a small cohort of people. Some I can't recall their names and the faces are fading from memory but others remain intact. It is like a few of those people became like family and when you see them it is like reuniting with that long lost cousin. 

Today was one of those reunions. My friend Mel stopped by to just say hello. She dropped off this bottle of water and some cookies. I'm pretty sure this water got us through some of those super long nights sitting in classrooms after spending all day in classrooms.

I sometimes wonder why I ever went back to school. 

45 things to remember.

Life can be stressful. Picking the kids up and shuttling them off to random practices. Rushing home to eat dinner, do homework and ushering them bed is never easy on the best days. Yesterday was one of those stressful days that things just didn't go right. The day did not end on a good note. I'm sure you can relate. 

Today I keep finding these little pieces of paper. Some were stuffed into my laptop bag, others taped to various parts of my lunch. Forty-five of these with unique memories written on each one. Some written by my wife, memories going back to our undergrad years and others by the kids with things that happened a few weeks back.

One memory to represent each year I have been alive. While the day will bring presents and cakes (you just can't celebrate with one cake!) these bits of paper are especially important to me.

While it is super easy to get bogged down on the day to day, making memories is what I should be focused on. 

Someone once told me that dirty dishes in the sink and crumbs on the floor are a sign of what is actually important, spending time with the people in your life. I'm not sure this is exactly how it went but you can pick up on the overall meaning.

How many memories will you make today?