Today marked the end of an era for my kids. We took down the rusting swing set. They got it in the summer of '03 for Owen's 3rd and Bridget's 4th birthdays. Now, five seasons later, they have gotten big enough to climb over the top of it and one of the chain links on one of the swings broke last week. I was surprised how quickly it came down. It was sad, but the kids are very much looking forward to designing and building a new clubhouse.
After taking another look at my empty backyard, I took a nice long soak tonight to reflect on the kids and help myself focus more on living my hopes. I wanted to make sure I wasn't getting so involved in the everyday motions that I was forgetting to appreciate them each day. Taking down the swing set made me think back to all the times they wanted to show me their newest trick and I was too busy. After all, they are just playing on a swing set, right?
Saturday both kids had soccer tournaments. I missed Bridget's first game because I had to take Owen to his. His team lost, but he ended the season with 3 new friends. Overall, a winning season in my book. Bridget played three games to a loss this afternoon. It was hard for her to deal with the defeat. Last year, their team never lost a game. This year, they lost all but two. It was a hard season for her, but I think she had some valuable experiences in dealing with disappointment and not giving up.
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