I’m trying to believe the above quote, but the truth is:  my heart hurts and I’m not smiling a whole lot today.

Guy and Garrett flew out of Portland on Saturday morning and I was asked by lots of loving friends if I thought North Korea would brazenly fire a missile at Seoul and if so, what might happen to my boys, who are 4 hours away from there, in Daegu.  I had no answer, except to say I sure hoped not, and that we’d figure it out and deal with it if it happened.

AND.  As it did happen, so far anyway, they’re safer there than they are 4 hours away from here, in Boston.  Where no one has openly threatened war.

Here, the lunatics are sneaky, conniving, insidious.  There’s no fanatical waving of an arm, no defiant shouting.  Just the bombs speaking.

Of course, when the explosions went off, thanks to social media, I knew within minutes.  I sprang up, heading directly for the living room where Guy was reading.  Except he wasn’t.  Because he was in South Korea.

And I stood in the space next to the chair where he should have been reading and puddled all up and began to pace in circles, wringing my hands.

This reminded me of our hamster, Otis, and the day we brought him home.  I explained to Natalie that the pet store, the only world he’d ever known, had just disappeared forever.  Pacing in circles seemed a completely understandable way of trying to set it right again, like Superman flying so fast around the world he turned back time.  Somehow I convinced her, and myself, of this.

But now, I say:  someone please.  Give me something.  Make it so the world tilts at a normal angle again, so that things make sense.

The pacing in circles isn’t working.

1.  Easter.  This was the first year Natalie held her own against her brothers in the search for eggs.  We hid so many this year we felt the need to count them, lest we be finding them in November!  I think there are still 2 out there somewhere.

This reminds me: have you ever seen Jim Gaffigan’s bit on the ridiculousness of holidays?  “Easter!  That’s a weird tradition.  Easter…the day Jesus rose from the dead.  What should we do (to celebrate)?  How ’bout EGGS?!  Well, what’s that got to do with Jesus?  Alright… we’ll HIDE ’em!  I don’t follow your logic.  Don’t worry… there’s a bunny!!

2. As mentioned in a previous post, ran a 5K with Luke.  And by “ran” I mean jogged, slowly.  It was a stunningly beautiful day, and the overall tone of the race was friendly and inclusive.  To boot:  it was a fundraiser aptly called the “The Ta-Ta Trot.”  We are more than happy to do our small part to save the boobies.

3.  Natalie invited us, with a formal hand-written invitation, to attend contra dancing at her school, CASS.  We went begrudgingly, we danced like fools, and laughed the whole time. (Guy danced, people.  It was epic!)

4.  Aprilpalooza!  Also at CASS, it is a talent show of sorts, without prizes, or judgement of any kind.  All kids can participate and many do.  Natalie hoolahooped her heart out.  It’s kind of her thing.  Luke and all his friends danced, in a very carefully choreographed way (ahem), to the delight of the crowd.

5.  Discovered there are only 43 days left of school this year.  Cue heavenly light.

6.  I volunteered at The Cinderella Project, at which young girls who are hopefully saving their money for bigger and better things (COLLEGE!) can choose stunningly gorgeous donated prom dresses.  All dresses, make up, hair styling is donated as well.  This is the 8th year this project has been in Belfast.  Proud to be a small part of it.

7.  Added a new member to our family:  Welcome, Otis!  Natalie had to write a persuasive letter for her 2nd grade teacher. Clearly, it was a well-written document. I haven’t seen all three kids so excited about something since…well, Easter, not so long ago.

8.  Went to a pancake breakfast on Sunday, rounding out an extraordinarily busy week.  Our local rotary club hosts one every year and we try to attend and support them by eating our weight in blueberry pancakes.  Mission accomplished!