Double Rainbows and the Secret to Lasting Happiness

Last night, out my front living room window a double rainbow arched across the sky. The rain left behind shiny, wet streets, thick, humid air, and a double arch of colored ribbons hanging from the clouds. Two rainbows. One inside the other. The kids and I hurried outside to look at it. It was absolutely breathtaking. Staring at that double rainbow made me so happy. And it got me thinking. Is there such a thing as living every day as a double rainbow day? I mean we all know double rainbows don't last. All rainbows fade into the sun-drenched sky and leave you feeling kind of blue, like something spectacular has happened but you can't hold onto it.
  

It has been a double rainbow summer and I'm sad to see it end. Oh, sure the kids are ready to get back to a routine and admittedly so am I. Or, so I thought until I saw that double rainbow. Then I realized it was farewell to the giant waterslide in the backyard. Goodbye to our day trips to Silver Lake to explore and hike. I'm going to miss sack lunches at the park followed by sixty cent ice cream cones at Arctic Circle just because it's Wednesday. No more 9 a.m. bike rides to the park just to mix things up a bit and those dollar movies will only happen on the weekends. Ah, the fading double rainbow. Going back to school is bittersweet.

BUT.

And there is the infamous B-U-T. Because even with all the fun, every moment of every day has had its less than perfect moments that I surely will not miss. And if you're a mother you know what I'm talking about. Those moments where one kid is upset because so and so won't let him take a turn on the computer. The whines and complaints can most certainly drain your brain and numb your soul.

Mo-om, so and so won't let me hold the kitty.

Mo-om, why can't you take me to my friend's house right now?

Mo-om why can't I have six popsicles for breakfast?

Mo-om, why can't we go to Boondocks today?

If you choose to spend your summer in those brain-draining, spirit-testing, moments where one more whine is going to push you over the edge, well, then you'll miss that double rainbow. That, my friend, is really the secret to living a happy life. I'm sure of it. If you're so worried about life's little annoyances that you can't spend 20 minutes to look at a rainbow on your front porch you've missed what you're here for.

Kids won't beg you when they're grown ups to take you to the splash park so, forget that kid #3 called you a bad name because you didn't bring her Barbie towel and instead memorize what it felt like watching her run through the sprinkles and sprays on a hot summer day and you'll feel like you've held a double rainbow.

Yes, I'm going to remember what it felt like riding the Bonsai tube behind the boat with my oldest daughter and how she laughed when I tried to tip her over. I'm going to relish what it felt like waterskiing at sundown and appreciate the peacefulness of taking walks at the crack of dawn.

Wasn't it Mother Superior who asked in the Sound of Music, "How do you hold a rainbow in your hand?" (oops it was a moonbeam but same thing).  Anyhow, I've come to accept that it is impossible to hold a rainbow in your hand—especially a double one. You can't hold perfection but you can enjoy it while it's here and choose not take it for granted. Double rainbows will disappear and you'll have to wait for them to come back. Until they do you can keep the memory. You can remember what it felt like the moment that you saw that double arch. And you can breathe it in deeply. You can scrapbook it and write about it and feel happy that you've tucked those good summer memories away in your heart forever.

If you were stressed out and frazzled this summer, don't worry. Summer will be back. Just like that double rainbow, it will reappear again and you'll get to do it all over again. And maybe this time you'll try to enjoy it while it lasts because that is the secret to holding a double rainbow in your hand.

I love you kids! You make every day a double rainbow day.

(Even when you whine.)

Love,

Mom

Love truly,

Laugh uncontrollably, 

And never regret anything that made you smile.

Brave Love

Being brave is hard to do. Loving brave is even harder.

One of my dear friends is the mother to three adopted daughters. A few weeks ago she was invited to attend a reunion given by the birth family of her oldest adoptive daughter. Being a gracious person, my friend decided to attend with her family. My first thought was that is a brave thing to do. But then again everything about adoption is about being brave.

I mean think about it. No mother-to-be who reproduces her own DNA undergoes scrutinizing home visits, interviews, and stacks of paperwork to determine whether or not she is fit to be a mom. No mother, who physically gives birth to her offspring, waits an agonizing six months or longer to be declared legally "the mother." That takes bravery. I say it takes bravery because knowing there is the remotest possibility that things won't work out and you do it anyways? Then twelve years later the biological grandmother sends you an invitation to come and meet the family. And you do it because you know it's not good to build fences. You decide to build a bridge and you introduce the daughter you've raised to grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts, uncles and cousins who all have what you don't—a biological connection to the daughter whom you love more than life itself.

 My friend is brave. Brave not only because she allowed her daughter to have this experience but brave because she, too, embraced it. As she watched the hugs, the kisses, and the smiles I know a small part of her wondered, "What if she likes them better?" (Not possible.  Not even likely.  But still we mothers hearts are so wrapped up in our children we wonder.  We worry.  My friend quickly dismissed those thoughts because she loves her daughter so much and even though mothers want to keep their children to themselves they know the good that comes from sharing them with the world.

Recipes were swapped. Lunch dates with cousins were set. In an afternoon at the park, a new family was forged. Can you get more beautiful than that?


Adoption is for the brave women of the world. Women who give up their babies unselfishly and women who adopt them and love them who then share them with the mothers who gave them up. My friend could have built fences and walls and kept everybody out but she didn't. She has a brave heart. She is a woman of "a good courage."

Adoption…it's not just about love.

It's about being brave enough

to open up your heart to something bigger.

I Cor. 13:4-8

Love is patient, love is kind.

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,

it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil

but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails.

Tart'n Tasty Frozen Yogurt

Oh, what do you do in the summertime?

When temperatures burn you alive?

You buy an ice cream maker . . . and make fabulous flavors of homemade ice cream.

(Then let the kids go on a giant slip-in-slide down the hill in the backyard and you're good to go!)

I purchased a 25" foot roll of construction plastic at Loew's for 16.95.  We place it at the bottom of our real slip-in-slide and the kids love it! 

Ever since I tasted Red Mango's pomegranate frozen yogurt  topped with white chocolate chips and sweetened coconut I've searched for a good recipe to try to replicate its
to-die for taste.

Here's a recipe to try!

Now, that's what you do in the summer time.

 Original link for Healthy Food For Living is HERE

 Tart Pomegranate Frozen Yogurt

2 cups plain 0% fat Greek yogurt
1 cup plain 2% fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup evaporated cane juice (or granulated sugar)
1/4 cup pomegranate syrup (recipe follows)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine yogurts, evaporated cane juice, and pomegranate syrup. Stir until the evaporated cane juice is completely dissolved.
2. Freeze according to ice cream maker manufacturer's instructions.
3. Serve immediately as soft serve, or spoon into a freezer-safe container and place in freezer until "ripened" (hardened).

Pomegranate Syrup
Ingredients:

• 2 cups 100% pomegranate juice, such as POM Wonderful
  
• 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup

Directions:

1. Combine pomegranate juice and maple syrup in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
2. Cook until the mixture has thickened slightly and has reduced to approximately 1/2 cup, about 1 hour.