"Just" another typical day

When I was a teenager and I would come home from school, my mom would ask how my day was. I would look at her, roll my eyes and say simply "typical."

Here's a rundown of my "typical" day today:

Woke up late, ran for 40 minutes on the treadmill (I HATE treadmills!), read a conference talk by Elder Uchdorf in Priesthood (great!), ate breakfast, listened to scriptures, helped the girls get ready, said good-byes to daddy, swept and mopped the floor, vacuumed, did 2 loads of laundry (did I mention that I really miss summer - where did all these tiny socks come from - and WHERE IS THE MATCH?), tried to entertain Ireland while I was getting stuff done, went to the library where I spent most of my time trying to keep Ireland out of the pamphlets and preventing McKinley from dumping armloads of books in my bag, back home for lunch, Ireland down for a nap, 10 minutes of mommy and McKinley time reading books, McKinley down for naptime/quiet time (it was neither), checking e-mail, blogs, facebook, helping mom w/ her webpage stuff, hearing McKinley yell "MOOOOM- come get McKinley!" from her room about 50 times, making calls, carpet cleaning the house - looks good but still many spots to get out, make dinner, eat dinner - McKinley & Ireland don't hardly touch a bite, a VERY short, but sweet FHE by Jason, cookies, bathtime, PJs, bedtime, more webpage stuff, running the dishwasher, reading my book, talking with Jason about his work, our girls education, and the 2nd coming.

Intermixed in this "typical" day were approximately:

-20 hugs and kisses

-3 time outs for McKinley

-5 diaper changes for Ireland

-20 "I love you's"

-10 "I'm sorry's"

-10 "By the time I count to three"s

-6 smiles because the girls were playing together

-10 cringes because there was crying or fighting

-3 dance numbers with the girls

-50+ sighs of frustration over one thing or another

-numerous prayers for myself, my family, and continued pleas for those enduring difficult trials

-incredible amount of toys, crayons, play doh and other things that were picked up

So - what makes this "typical" day so special? BECAUSE IT HAPPENED! Because I got to spend one more precious day on this earth to live, to laugh, to cry, to grow, to learn.

My mom had a Latter-Day Women's magazine from 1987 (let's see - I was 8 years old) by her computer the other day & I looked through it. I LOVED the last article. I'm going to get it painted on my wall, tattooed on my arm, etched in my mirrors... or at the very least hang it on my fridge. It's just that I don't want to forget it. Here is the last paragraph:

"Just a normal day. A normal day! It is a jewel! In time of war, in peril of death, people have dug their hands into the earth and remembered this. In time of sickness and pain, people have buried their faces in pillows and wept for this. In time of loneliness and separation, people have stretched themselves taut and waited for this. In time of hunger, homelessness, want, people have raised bony hands to the skies and stayed alive for this.

Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it will not always be so. One day, I may dig my nails in the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want more than all the world - your return. " - Jean Irion