I Get To

Mom reminded me of this song, and I actually have thought about it several times over the last few weeks.  It’s not like my favorite song or anything (mostly because it’s more from a guy’s perspective) but the idea has hit home with me more than once lately. 

They used to make me go to church, clip-on tie, starchy shirt
I never heard the preachers words all scrunched down in that pew.
These days goin' to church is somethin' I don't have to do—I get to.

I used to have to hang with dad, wash his car and cut the grass,
It took all day and I hated that, till his heart attack last June.
These days helpin' dad is somethin’ I don't have to do—I get to.

I get to wake up early, I get to go to work
I get to make an honest living, put my hands down in the dirt
I get to hear grandma complain about all her little aches and pains
I get to rock my baby girl to sleep, spend my weekends coaching little league
There's a lot of things I don't have to do—I get to….

Obviously, I don’t do clip-on ties and starchy shirts, but I like that I get to go to church now a lot more than I used to.  Dad hasn’t had a heart attack (and hopefully won’t…I’m pretty sure plain ol’ exhaustion will get him first anyway), and we didn’t wash the car much when we were kids, but these days, helpin’ dad is something I GET to do…and I’m glad. 

That’s what I’ve been doing the last few days while I’ve been quiet.  =)  I’ve been so busy I haven’t had much time to get on here.  But the to-do list (here AND at dad’s) is slowly getting checked off. 

Here we were putting up the last piece of soffits on the back of the house.  I don’t have before and after pictures, but I can tell you, the after is CRAZY better.  The before was rotting wood and holes every so often.  Dad had to repair the wood and then vinyl over it to clean up the look.  Amazing the difference! 

So I’ve been GETTING to get up early and go to work, and I don’t know that I’d call it making a living, since all my work is strictly volunteer, but my hands have definitely been in the dirt lately. I don’t have any grandma’s left living, but the hospice patient I visit is a grandma, and I get to hear about all her aches and pains.  My baby girl isn’t such a baby anymore, and I don’t coach little league, but the sum of it is, there’s a LOT of things that I don’t have to do…I GET to. 

And I’m thankful that I GET to. 

And now, it’s that time of day when I GET to go to bed.  =)  And I’m thankful for THAT, too.  LOL.