pondering parties

what I learned from my son's 11th birthday party...

it doesn't matter if you don't feel like you've made "friends at school". instead just be who you are. keep yourself open. you'll find yourself surrounded by love from unexpected sources.

the real treasures in life: families - families - families!

there's a lot of fun to be had in "the wrong part of town" (puh-leeeze)

parties are MUCH more fun with a variety than with 20 same-age, same-gender kids

there's great joy to be had in introducing people you love to one another, then watching them instantly & completely hit it off. kind of an affirmation, somehow.

kids don't care if it's home-made

it's okay if crowds aren't your thing

you're never too old for a pinata

"don't look before you laugh, look ugly in a photograph" (yeah that's me!)

older kids serving younger enriches both

fancy is only needed if that's who you are. some ooze that special something which makes everything they touch turn to gold. I love the gatherings/spaces/yummies that they create. but that's not me. "me" is water balloons, take out pizza, Trader Joe's bought mini-cupcakes, water bottles in a cooler, and a sparsely filled pinata. turns out being me not only makes things a lot easier for me to enjoy my PEOPLE, it's a pretty big hit with them, too. that's kinda nice to know.

so my son, who doesn't have the easiest time making friends at school spent his 11th birthday surrounded by 40(?) people who don't just LIKE him, they LOVE him.

we know it. he knows it.

thankful.