Joy of an Evening

So, one of the things I've really learned in these, my thirties, is that the brief times of pure joy we're given are to be cherished, not taken for granted.

Pure joy moments with kids are truly brief - they shine incandescently bright and then come to abrupt end when the sticky fingers are rubbed on your just washed hair, or someone knocks over the cup of juice, or a ball comes flying out of nowhere and clocks the baby in the noggin. They are, of course, the shining moments that make it ALL worth it, but they are generally quite short. (Hence the blog, where at least a few of them can live forever.)

But whole evenings of joy? Oh, so rare.

Melissa, Heather, Heather, Becky, Cary, me, Cindy

A group of friends surprised me with a dinner out for my birthday. I thought I was going to dinner with two friends and just about fell over (and burst into tears) when it turned out to be a whole table of friends, with more dropping in, and even more who couldn't be there and sent cards.

We stayed up late (very late)... even as we headed out to the parking lot, we lingered. Who knows when such joy will strike again?

Thank you to Melissa and Becky who organized it, to Cary, Heather, Cindy, Heather, and Andy for coming. Thank you to Chad, who had the restaurant staff take perfect care of us (at Wild Wing Cafe if anyone is looking for a wonderful night out!).

I feel wealthy beyond imagining. Traveling through this world can make for rough passage, but how comforting that the journey doesn't have to be a solo effort.