ap·pre·ci·a'·tion

–noun

1.	gratitude; thankful recognition: They showed their appreciation by giving him a gold watch.

There's nothing like being gone for a couple of days to make folks appreciate you. Of course, the secretary at a small school picks up all the little pieces -- none of which seem that big a the time, but they add up to a lot. (Not to toot my own horn -- it's just the nature of the job.) But it is nice to be appreciated now and then.

A fellow blogger talked about moms and not being appreciated. Moms of toddlers deserve an award for just persevering! You young mothers really amaze me! Especially the ones that weave and bake and knit and make cards and scrapbook and organize meals and... Well, you get the drift. I'm doing good to just get through my day taking care of the necessities. Crafting? Baking? One day I'd like to get back to those.

This fellow blogger also told a story about her son that reminded me of some humorous anecdotes from my children. I hope you don't mind if I borrow your idea, Schweers' mom. I can't promise the deep lesson to go with them, but they might be worth a chuckle.

My older son was about four when we went to my cousin's wedding. Twice during the reception, after sitting quietly, enjoying his refreshments, he suddenly found himself upside down, along with the chair he had been sitting in. Once was with chocolate cake, the other with red punch -- all on blue carpet!

While discussing these events with my sister-in-law, she shared an incident that had occurred about a month before on a camping trip we took together. He was at her campsite, watching them set up, calmly sitting on an ice chest. The next thing she knows, he and the ice chest are upside down. He gets up, dusts himself off, looks at her and says, "I hate it when that happens!"

My younger son has given us a few new sayings. My daughter now asks her friends, "What your doin'?" Also, once a year we have to go get our car expected. I know there are more, but the brain is old.

One day the younger son came running into my room, doing a potty dance. "Mommy, Mommy! Can I use your bathroom? Julie's in ours plundering the toilet!"

I still am wondering what "treasures" she was finding!

The moral to the stories?

1. Show your appreciation to all the "little people" who make your life easier.
2. Funny stories are precious! Save them up for first dates and other embarassing moments!