Precious Gifts

 
Like most parents... we tell ourselves to remember all the precious moments in our children's lives; document them, take pictures, video, write it all down.  Realistically, life with kids can be super busy and exhausting.  It was easy to snap away at the infant days but now with a three year old the thought of carrying around a camera is just one more thing to haul and writing down the sweet moments at the end of the day is only given to passing out in my jeans on the bed after finally getting my little one to sleep.

Lately, though, the "sweet' barometer has been really high.  My giggling girl has been nonstop.  The other night at dinner she pointed at me authoritatively and exclaimed, "Mama! You are IN MY HEART!"  I melted.

Today driving to school she said, "Jesus loves all the little kids and Mama, Jesus loves you and me too!"  I was grateful.

Last night lying in bed waiting for her to drift off to sleep she rolled over and held my cheeks between her two tiny hands, looked me squarely in the eye and said, "Sweet dreams Mama.  I love you." I wished for those moments to last forever.  Precious gifts.  I want to remember.

One Community: November

GRATITUDE

I can't help but feel grateful as I yank, pull, and snip the last of summer's bounty.  This year's garden was an experiment of sorts, trying a variety of veggies randomly chosen just to see what would come of it.   To my surprise it burst with deep purple flowers that became the most beautiful eggplant, tangled nets of summer squash that had to be tamed with a vengeance, and a monstrous bush that certainly was no artichoke as I had been misled to believe.  I learned to like cauliflower and the little girl frolicking in the summer sun began her journey as a steward of the earth.  For that I am truly grateful. 

FUN

Fall and Fun are synonymous to me;  Pumpkin patches, huge harvests of overgrown vegetables, pony rides and tumbling in fallen leaves.  It's time to get the last vestiges of summer energy out before turning inward for the long cold winter to come.  

BLUE

The huge Colorado sky is nothing but blue.  We visited Crested Butte last week and it seems all I could see was "blue".  These crazy mountain towns seem to be splattered with color, even the rusting bikes add to the local beauty. 

HOME

I've been thinking a lot about the notion of "home" these days.  Is it place, is it possessions, is it people, is it in our soul?  What makes a place feel like a "home"?  As much as I love to travel l am definitely a nester.  I enjoy the familiarity of arriving at the end of a journey or just the day to a place that is a reflection of my values, my people, the story of my life.  These days it's bubble baths, bedtime stories, playing dress-up, water colors and the simple pleasures of rearing a child.  Bonus: I can take these with me anywhere I go. 

One Community is a monthly photo project in which participants photograph their homes and community with a theme in mind. The theme varies by month. The goal is to both showcase similarities and differences in our communities worldwide – and bring us all closer together in understanding through art.

Other One Community participants:

Sarah is a life-long Missourian who shares her home with her husband, one (soon to be 2) son(s), and an old grumpy dachshund. Like every good Midwesterner, she can (and will) talk to you at length about the weather.  Sarah blogs at www.beautyschooldropout.net

Colleen lives with her handsome hubster and two feisty felines in Portland, Oregon. She loves rain and sun (in that order), words and pictures, and chatting up the neighbors. She blogs at: www.underaredroof.com


Rebekah lives in Kilkenny, Ireland with her husband. An American by birth, she’s discovering what it means to be an expat on the Emerald Isle. She blogs at Honeysuckle Life.


Kara is a cheerful nerd living in downtown Phoenix, AZ with her law-studying husband and an anxious pound puppy. She works full time in the mental health field but in her off time enjoys sunshine, great food and the occasional craft beer.  www.sunshing-cupcakes.com

Stephanie from Wyoming.  Her blog is www.nowicanseethemoon.com 

Kelli lives in Phoenix with her dog, Willie Nelson Mandela. She is a novelist, public health advocate and United Methodist. She blogs at: www.africankelli.com