Secret Giver(s)

Over the past several months some secret giver has sent me 7 gifts that reflect a deep understanding of me. Whoever you are, you have blessed me. The gifts always seem to arrive in Providential timing. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.  

This unexpected kindness has been a reflection to me of the great giver who gives beyond what we can imagine when we least expect it. I have found in some of the shadowed seasons in my life, rays of sunshine that surprise me with joy, and blind me to the present sorrow(s). They are unanticipated, unexpected, and hence more profoundly appreciated and understood. To you, dear neighbor, who gifted me with a new strap to replace the pieced together strap on my special purse - thank you. It meant so very much to me, was so unexpected and is so cherished.

To the other neighbor who has given so abundantly of herself, of her love, of her resources, to make our life richer, fuller and so much more than we could have imagined. Thank you for keeping our freezer full of goodies that make the challenging role of "mom" so much easier because a quick meal from the freezer is ready at hand. So many weary days have ended with a hot meal that I cannot take the credit for and I'm eternally grateful.

When I look back upon the pictures of the drought stricken forests of this beloved place just a month ago, I compare them to the green wonder, the vibrant wildflowers that cover the hills and see the trees with new green pine needles and branches that no longer sag. The forests have gained a second chance at life thanks to the unexpected rains. Another reminder... seeing my wilderness places so rejuvenated has given me abundant joy. It is another great unexpected gift. So, thank you to the givers, including the Great Giver! You know who you are... 

One Month Ago

Now

I blinked

 

I blinked today and yesteryear was gone. My babies are babies no more. They are still loud and funny, and filled with an abundance of energy, but they don't scream as much, they can go to the bathroom by themselves, they don't require absolutely constant supervision (okay, they MOSTLY don't require constant supervision), they can buckle themselves into the car and they can feed themselves using utensils (though they often don't, just on principle), they sleep the whole night through. They also don't need me to hold them close in a carrier on my hip the way I used to all day long. They don't follow me from room to room as I complete household tasks. They don't call out for me in the middle of the night just to be cuddled close, to hear my heart beat next to their cheek. They don't have soft, fluffy thighs, cheeks and tummies like they used to. They don't rely on me for their very sustenance as they once did. 

So, when they ask to snuggle, or to get a back scratch, or sit way too close on the couch just so we're touching, or sleep next to me in bed when Daddy is gone, or go on a date, or take a walk with me, or have a cup of tea so we can sit together in the middle of the afternoon, or ask me to go outside for a private conversation about the current issues of the heart, I savor these moments and grab them and hold onto them. After all, bathroom privacy is seriously overrated 

I blinked once and now I am decidedly older and they are inching ever closer to manhood. Oh the men that they are becoming! I. Love. Them. Inexplicably. They are my favorite people in all the world and they are beautifully, wonderfully unique.  

May we live this life well. And treasure every moment because we cannot help but to blink... 

Two Roads

"...Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."

~ Robert Frost