Blogging today at Lisa-Jo Baker’s Five Minute Friday.

Those were such “ordinary” days — those weeks, months and years when our four boys sat under their Mom’s tutelage. Trying at times, rewarding most of the time, we were just “doing school”.

They’re four young men now, off to do life on their chosen paths. I often wonder if they think back to  our ordinary and count those days as special.

Living in the country, but with our white mini-van waiting in the driveway, we could run away for what we called “sun” days knowing that when the local public schools closed for “snow” days, we would still be working at math and history. On our ordinary sun days this time of year, there might be a trip to the apple orchard or a long hike through a local park. Or maybe we’d hit the mall and have a rare lunch out at the food court.

Other days, when the pressures of maintaining a home and operating our family’s home-based business pressed in, “ordinary” might become working alongside dad out in the barns while Mom caught up on laundry, cooking and cleaning. Lots of learning still happened on those ordinary days — how to follow directions, handle a saw or use a welder. Ordinary skills those young men are glad to list on their resume today.

Life is never “ordinary”, especially when the school room is next to the kitchen. I’d give a day of empty-nesting for five minutes of ordinary any time.

STOP