I noticed it on my walk.
There was a definite pattern in the way the snow was melting.
I saw it over and over; repeated lawn after lawn.
The snow melts first around the base of the trees.

I saw the pattern house after house.
The snow melts outward from the tree trunk.
There were large circles of grass around every tree.
The rest of the lawn was snow covered.

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In the movie, The Wizard of Oz, the Tin Man defied gravity.
There he stood in one place but his body swayed back and forth at ridiculous angels.
He would lean so far over that it seemed as if he would touch the floor.
His feet were firmly planted on the ground but his body leaned unnaturally.

I imagined that it must have been done with cameras.
No one could lean like that without falling over.
It had to be a trick, an optical illusion.
Our feet simply wouldn’t hold our weight tilted in such a way.

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I know a young man; he is a friend of my youngest son.
He wrote poignantly about his grandmother, a God-fearing woman.
Her whole life was devoted to spreading the “good news” as she would call it.
I read his thoughts and realized that she passed the baton of faith well.

This special woman died on his 24th birthday.
He writes honestly about how he decided to let everyone know when the time came.
At first, he thought, Happy Birthday to me: I lost my grandmother today.
He read the hurt and the sarcasm in those words.

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How I loved to sing to my children.
Every night before bedtime, after reading a book, after saying prayers, I sang to them.
They each had their favorite song.

It was soothing, comforting, intimate, and very precious.
It was our time.
That line right before sleep, when the sounds of the world blur and fade.

It was waited for; it was expected.
It was part of our nighttime routine.
It was the signal for the end of the day and the beginning of sleep and restoration.

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I do not like glitter.
My children made crafts, did artwork, painted, and played with Play-doh.
We had rolls of butcher paper that I would keep for the many pictures they would draw.
I encouraged creative expression, minus the glitter.

Glitter just seemed to be everywhere.
Even after we cleaned up, I would still see specks of glitter on my kitchen floor days later.
Children love anything sparkly; the more glitter the better.
I was a stick in the mud about this one thing.

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My youngest daughter has her own photography business.
Her weekends are filled with taking pictures of families, children, and individuals.
I am amazed at the way she sees the world.
It is amazing how she can capture the essence of the person in front of the camera.

She has been asked to take newborn pictures for a family.
That photo shoot is coming soon.
She has also been asked to take maternity pictures.
She was asked to take the newborn photos when the baby arrives.

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I watched my daughter assemble stools for her counter.
Directions on the floor, screwdriver in hand, she began.
Who would have thought that small counter stools come with assembly required?
In no time at all, they were ready to use.

Thank goodness I have a handy husband.
An engineer brain handy husband.
Schematics and blueprints mean nothing to me.
Directions and road maps might as well be in another language.

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We still have a country bench in our family room that is really a toy chest.
In that toy chest are some favorite toys from my children’s younger years.
The toys are there for anyone who visits with children of their own.
Seeing the toys played with again and again delights me.

One toy in particular was always difficult to master.
Difficult to master when they were young, but much easier when they got older.
It is a ball with cut out geometric shapes all around it.
Inside the ball are pieces that fit into each hole.

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Don’t you love it when you get a familiar voice on the other end of the phone?
Imagine calling a business with a question and the person answering goes to your church.
Imagine the smile that comes to your face when you realize, I KNOW this person!

Don’t you love when you answer your phone and it is your child in college?
Just the sound of their voice brings warmth from your head to your toes.
If they can’t be in the same room with you, this is the next best thing.

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The visit was planned.
A drive to Vermont after Christmas to celebrate with extended family.
Pack the car, her husband would drive; she would be in the passenger seat.
Three children in the back, the littlest one asleep soon after the engine started.

Such anticipation.
Leaving Christmas presents and decorations behind was not a problem.
Family time was something precious; a gift that needs no ribbons or bows.
The best of both worlds: Christmas here, another family Christmas there.

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