~Reaching for my husband’s hand, snuggled between crisp
white sheets and a down comforter in the cool of our bedroom as the sun glows
brighter by the moment. He’s
waking, our blue eyes and dimples is beginning to stir. 5 more minutes of hand holding.
~Frozen banana and almond milk, a splash of vanilla and cocoa powder, dollop of homemade nut butter. Don’t inhale it. Taste the flavors. Savor.
~Chatting with my little sister. She’s back to school in a matter of days. Ask her questions, and really listen.
~Watching our girl at gymnastics, her wheels turning as she stares at older girls flipping from bars. She isn’t too scared to swing from the ceiling, at least not in theory. She swings with courage, then fear and tears come, coach brings her to a stop and she immediately looks at us with excitement signing ‘more, more!!’ We all laugh.
~Driving to the country. Noticing the fields, the bales of hay, the barbed wire fences. Rather than letting it breeze by, taking it all in, feeling it in my soul.
~Sitting with my grandmother. I should be writing. But she brought her writing, years upon years of scribbled poems. I’m tempted to gracefully excuse myself, but she wants me to read them. She wants to be seen and heard. So I listen. I read. And I do my best to lock this moment away in my memory. I’ll be grateful someday I did.
~My mother’s face the moment she locks eyes with Ev as we breeze thru the door. It’s an expression I can envision every time I close my eyes. Her eyes light up and the biggest grin spreads across her face. She laughs, Ev giggles in response, they reach for each other and immediate chaos ensues. It’s the expression every daughter hopes she sees on her own mother’s face someday. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen her more alive than I do now, as a grandmother. I pray my children say the very same of me someday.
I could have gotten more done, no doubt. More research, more writing, more planning. But I would have missed dancing with my girl while her Pappy strummed the guitar. I’d miss hearing my Granny giggle at my teasing. I’d miss seeing my girl’s eyes light up at the sight of girls tumbling, baby goats romping around, laying eyes on her grandmother.
What's important are these things. These simple, every day, beautiful things.