If asked to describe my perfect weekend without using the words “boating”, “all my family”, and “warm water” together I would probably describe the last 48 hours.  My first Mother’s Day weekend turned out to be just about the perfect weekend.
Saturday was sunny and beautiful and we had no plans or obligations. That in itself is a wonderful thing. We spent nearly the whole day working outside. I use the term “working” loosely. Kris and I were both doing hard, physical work, but we were loving it and so it hardly seemed like work.
I finished planting my garden. Now we have potatoes, tomatoes, soybeans, green beans, lettuce, spinach, zucchini, basil, dill, and green onions in the ground, getting all delicious for our summer palates.
Kris hauled rock and sand and arranged it in his water feature. His hard work is paying off in that section of the yard. It is quickly becoming a beautiful and peaceful retreat with water trickling from pool to stream to pool.
Kris also put up a clothesline for me. This is something I’ve wanted since our first house with the tiny backyard. Now I can hang our clothes outside to dry, saving energy and achieving that wonderful crisp smell of sunshine and trees.
Jennika played in the grass and dirt, tasting rocks, sticks and mud. She is becoming such an outside girl, much to her parents’ delight.
That evening we barbecued and enjoyed the evidence of our hard work and the anticipation of the good things to come from it. There is something so rewarding in planting. Knowing that with little effort on my part (weeding, feeding, etc), I can wait and watch and beautiful and nutritious fruits and vegetables grow before my very eyes. I look forward to sharing this wonder with Jennika when she’s a bit older. Right now she’s more interested in pulling the leaves off the tomato plant than in the wonderful harvest we will reap from it later.
Sunday was another beautiful day. Our church service doesn’t start until 11:00, which is wonderful in my opinion because it means sleeping in and a lazy morning enjoying coffee and breakfast together. After a great service we grabbed some food and drove up Big Cottonwood Canyon for a hike. We choose a trail that took us up to a ridge where we could view the Salt Lake Valley, the snowy mountains around us, and 600 feet below, the road we’d started on. It was a breathtaking view from all angles. Then we hiked further up the canyon until we hid constant snow and then turn back to the car, tired, sweaty, and happy.
There are few tangible things that can attempt to come a mile close to the simple pleasures of hard work, anticipation, beautiful weather, the majestic mountains, trees, rocks, hills, and a loving family. For Mother’s Day I didn’t get a bouquet of hothouse flowers on my table, but instead wildflowers brightly dancing along the trail side. I didn’t get a relaxing massage, but was invigorated as my heart and lungs met the demands I put to them. I didn’t receive jewelry, but was decorated with freckles from the sun and slobbery kisses from my adoring daughter.  These gifts have filled my heart with joy and that joy multiplies with the knowledge that there’s not an end in sight to such pleasures. There are many more sunny days ahead and I look forward to many years of planting gardens, each better than the previous. I hope my daughter never shys away from kissing me and my husband never tires of taking me hiking. For I will always welcome these simple, delicious pleasures that made this weekend so perfect.