July 8

The short people, my mom and I got up this morning and drove to Brentwood to pick fruit. We came away with an impressive eight pounds of apricots from farm number one, and an even more impressive (and slightly embarrassing in the oops, I think we may have gotten a bit carried away vein) 35 pounds of peaches from farm number two. (Needless to say there was a lot of jam and ice cream making later in the day.)

The kiddos showed a decent amount of resolve when it came seeking out the best trees and they made lots of cute faces as they excitedly plucked peaches from low branches, but this ranks as one of my favorite sights from the entire experience:

Those big red buckets at farm number two were heavy and awkward even while empty. By the time a good layer of peaches lined the interior of Isaac's container, it was nearly impossible for him to lift alone. As I helped Brady find good fruit to pick, I happened to hear Isaac ask Abby for help. And when I turned around, I saw them sharing the weight of that weighty bucket.

The two of them have certainly shared some very heavy burdens, but I don't think I'd really thought of it that way until I saw this photo this evening. It depicts them doing what they've been doing, in a metaphorical sense, for the past several years. And I'm thankful for such a tangible reminder of how wonderful it is to be able to share our challenging loads with others, and especially with those who are dearest to us.