Song of the day: Time Passages - Al Stewart & Peter White

"Night like a river beginning to flow
I felt the beat of my mind go
Drifting into time passages" -Al Stewart & Peter White

I slept in late this morning (after 8:00am). This is not something that I am proud of, nor is it a habit that I intend on adopting. In fact, I feel almost guilty even blogging about it. However, it is truth, and truth (as perceived by me) is what this is all about.

"The things you lean on are the things that don't last
Well it's just now and then my line gets cast into these
Time passages"

The sun is shining and the pleasant aroma of fresh coffee starts burning my nostrils... In our house, it means this: I have missed out on my chance for the first cup 'go round'. You see, we broke our ten cup coffeemaker some time ago, and now we have to "make do" with the four cup model. This also means whoever gets downstairs first, gets first dibs. Now, we have an inelegant old saying here in the southern United States, which goes like this: "Pee, or get off the pot!"

"Hear the echoes and feel yourself starting to turn
Don't know why you should feel
That there's something to learn"

My husband had already made the first round, yet the coffee was still sitting... yes, temptingly sitting unpoured, in the carafe. It should have been long gone. I came downstairs and reached for it, at which point he said to me, "Stop, thief!" I laughed and told him that it was now my turn. He grabbed the carafe, then filled his mug, and I made another pot for myself. With this, my day has officially begun.

"It's just a game that you play"

After a slow start, "The Boy" and I head out of the door. En route to the library, we continue our day, with the first stop being the Dollar Store. On the way, we pass his elementary school. We see cars lined up in the semi-circular driveway that is usually reserved for the school buses. When the new school year begins, this kind of parking will be strictly prohibited. The summertime marquee message in front of the school, has been changed to reflect the upcoming school year, and the campus is bracing itself for an all out attack of 5 to 11 year olds. As for me, I really don't know how I feel yet. It really doesn't matter. I have lived long enough to know that the world does not turn based on my internal "clock". This lesson...this most important lesson...is one that we try hard to teach our son. He still doesn't "get it".

"Well the picture is changing
Now you're part of a crowd"

Somewhere and sometime between the Spring rains, berry picking, beaches and Summer sunsets, a little boy turned nine years old. The child that we are sending back to school this Autumn is somehow a bit different than the one that came home with me on the last day of school this past Spring. Sure, he is taller...but the difference is much more than that; yet subtle enough not to really stand out. He is growing up...and fast. My husband refers to the previous "hip-hop" generation, as the "Lost Episodes" and says that there is yet, still hope for this; "The Boy's", generation.

"They're laughing at something
And the music's loud"

I am glad that "The Boy" and I are still able to spend a lot of time together. For now, he still likes being with me, and I with him. However, I am a realist and know that this will not always be the case. I intend to enjoy it for as long as it lasts. I have needed him...much more than I care to admit.


Note: The picture above, is one that was taken in the van on the way home from our beach vacation. "The Boy" was in a rare contemplative mood.

So rare in fact, that we haven't seen that face again since...

"Time passages
Buy me a ticket on the last train home tonight..."