Late on Purpose

Today the kids were late for school. This happens more than I really care to admit. But today, they were late on purpose.

You see, it was the last day of school and given that it wasn't raining and was over 30 degrees (seriously, what's up with this "spring" weather?), we decided to ride bikes to school.  When Jared found the kids some new (used) bikes a while back, they got all excited about riding bikes to school a lot before school got out. But the weather and the challenge of getting ready for school earlier to make time for bike riding has prevented their plans from materializing. So today was the last chance. And even though a flat tire and various other little issues held us up a bit, we were bound and determined to bike to school - and to enjoy it - even if it made us downright late.

It was a beautiful ride. The trees finally have leaves - fresh new bright green ones. The grass is vibrantly emerald thanks to all the rain. The bike trail runs along a river and it was beautiful in a crazy way with its nearly-overflowing rushing water.

I watched my sweet children riding along behind their dad in a duck line with me at the end and felt so full of joy - for the beauty of the earth, for the beauty of my kids, for the fun of zipping along on a bike, for the beauty of the moment. Today we choose enjoying over promptness. And that felt good.

Sometimes, as moms, we need to re-order our priorities and be intentional about mixing things up a little. Yes, being on time is generally a good thing. But every so often, other things are more important.