Hats.....
I'm on a bus riding with 40ish, 7th graders,  I suppose I should know the exact number since I'm a chaperone!  We are traveling to Austin to visit the Capitol of Texas!  I love Texas history and as I thought back, I couldn't remember ever visiting the capital, so I volunteered.  I did visit the capital once in college, but it was very late at night and we were climbing trees, another story.....

Today the hat i am wearing is 7th grade Mom hat!  It is actually a relief to "get away from it all" and actually be driven by someone else for a change!  I love these  kiddos, many of whom have been in class together since kindergarten....litter mates as I call them.  It's the beauty of a small town private school!  Like little scrapping pups, they get to know each other so well!  Then, one day they grow up, change their shape and size and viola....who are you?  Which puppy are you?  You look and act differently from when we were little.....I've seen it with my older daughter and now with this bunch (litter) and it amuses me so!

On most days, My usual hat is a black one with a patent leather bill.....the chauffeurs cap!    This particular hat of mine is so worn out, dusty and getting a little faded.  It is well used, comfortable like my favorite flannel nightgown, but sometimes makes me grumpy when I have to wear it....which my flannel gown never does!  I kind of enjoyed this hat when it was new and special, only coming out for special occasions.  But as any garment, when you have to wear it over and over, you get sick of it!  The little black hat is about to be put on the shelf, though.  My oldest daughter, is in the midst of Drivers Ed!  I am counting the days....

You may think I sound ungrateful for having such a cute cap, but since we live 11 miles one way from our school and 25 miles from our church....in the sticks, actually I wear this hat constantly!  When we were looking for property,   My Manny had to have "wide open spaces".... Which was very romantic at the time, but as I told him then and still believe now, "If I cut off my finger while chopping something, I need someone to call for help!". So, we really have the best of all worlds....beautiful views, acreage to play on and neighbors close by!
What this all means, is that I wear my black hat a lot!  It is miraculous I don't have permanent hat hair!   Hair is another whole blog post.....can't wait for that!  Most people tell me I'll miss my cap....that when I'm wearing it is the only time to connect with my children....that once I retire it I wont see them anymore...that it goes with everything......maybe that's why I'll just stash it away on the shelf with Manny's other  1,000 caps.  They all eventually get dusted off and worn again!

As I'm typing this, i am a little over stimulated!  The 7th graders are being 7th graders, moms are chatting, I'm listening to my tunes ....david bowie, mary mary, blake shelton....i know, weird combo....my playlist is bizarre....and getting texts from a desperate client trying to repaint her boyfriends ranch house!   Sorry, I didn't bring my design hat on this trip! I want to say....but isn't that the beauty of how God made us?  We have an innate ability to wear all of our hats at once.  I have a vision right now of a dr. Seuss like character with hats of all shapes, sizes and colors stacked on its head a mile high!  Don't you feel that way sometimes?  But, just think..He knew which hats I would need long before I did and he gave me the gifts to match each and every sweet piece of millenery.

"He doesn't call the equipped, he equips the called! "  We've heard it over and over.  In other words, he doesn't always use those who already have the best gifts and the best looking hats, but for those of us that have doubts about ourselves,  he  provides not just the spiffiest of caps, but actually gorgeous, sparkling tiaras overloaded with jewels!  Ahhh, I am a daughter of the King, after all!