Commitment to Contentment Update

January 2012, I decided to forego my normal resolutions and instead commit this year to a theme:  contentment. The months have marched on with arms full of ups and downs, so here I am reflecting on where I stand.

Sunday was quite possibly one of the best days of my life. There was no big event; there wasn't even a plan.





It was simple, and it was spent with two people who mean the world to me. The Sheriff slept in, so J and I enjoyed a date morning instead of date night and relaxed with coffee, breakfast, and each other's company.  We've had crawfish on the mind, and Sunday, Cowboy woke with a mission.  I called HEB with fingers crossed, and upon confirmation of their temporary residence within their grocery walls, Cowboy took off for our favorite mud bugs and boiling ingredients.

In the meantime, W woke up, and we prepped for Mass with prayers running through my head that The Sheriff's behavior would allow us to gain some religion instead of losing it!
We arrived on time, found the perfect end seat, and had a peaceful, refreshing Mass. Refreshing perhaps due to the lovely people sitting around us laughing with instead of scowling at The Sheriff's let's-wrap-this-up at the end of Mass antics.

Have we talked about the weather yet? Not a cloud in the sky.

I am certain that I saw "47" on the outside temp when I first woke up, but there are no guarantees that I was anywhere near coherent. Regardless, I dressed The Sheriff to match, and while the long sleeves weren't necessary, what a dapper little fellow!

This picture doesn't do his outfit justice, but you can tell by his shades that he was feeling the "cool" vibe as well. We planned on a post church photo shoot, but the day held other plans like an impromptu driveway play date with W's favorite neighbor. 

To wrap up this play-by-play, there were leftover mimosas from Saturday's visit with Michigan friends, Cowboy handling the crawfish (and by handling, I mean perfectly boiling LA's favorite crustacean), The Sheriff's first crawfish (to be blogged later), and a trip to Marshall's for a new bag (also to be blogged later). It does not get better than this:

Sunday night I told Cowboy that I wasn't ready for Monday to rear its little head again, to which he responded, "Why not, you love Mondays right? The Bachelor AND The Voice!"

His statement started the gears turning.
Sunday was bliss. I have no other words.

But his response stands side by side with the day's big moments. It stands as a reminder to seek joy and allow joy and know that I am given joy each day if only I'd take time to notice it and find contentment in it.

It might be looking forward to a reality television show. It might be waiting for the next night I bathe W and introduce the empty coffee creamer container I saved (or hoarded!) for bathtub fun.
It might be the dread that tomorrow is bathroom cleaning day, but the feeling of accomplishment after everything is shining and clean.

It might be amazing Sundays.

Each tomorrow and each morning we are given greets us with the opportunity for moments, however tiny, however grand, of contentment.  These same days hand us trials, grief, and frustrations, sometimes all too readily. It's our job to sort it out, give everything its place, and realize the joy however deeply it might be buried. Although perhaps not in our sight, there are rainbows in the rain.