Life is Like a Picnic Basket

See that picnic basket? I've had it since I was 16. It's an antique :-) My parents gave it to me for Christmas along with a cedar hope chest full of household items. Sounds like a freaky gift to give a 16 year old kid, right? Don't be fooled though, because I asked for that hope chest and its contents. When my other friends were asking for high-top Nikes and Guess jeans, I was asking for crystal goblets and dish towels. 

I've always been a planner. I've always wanted to know "what's next?". I've always wanted to be prepared, ready for the future (and any picnics on the horizon :-) ). Oh! I was so excited to get that hope chest. So looking forward to the future at the tender age of 16. Totally oblivious to the fact that we can plan all we want for the future, but the unexpected will happen. As John Lennon once said, "Life is what happens when you are making plans." So true!

I look at pictures of our Little Monkey and his sweet sister on their recent picnic and  they make me smile. I want so desperately to plan out their futures, to shield them from any bad apples that might be lurking in life's picnic basket. I know now from experience that life does not work that way. Try as we might to plan for our children's futures, each day will come with its challenges and triumphs. 

I just want them to know that we are always here to cut the crusts off those PB&Js if life gets too overwhelming. 

Hugs,

Melissa