August 22

I know a lot of parents cheer the coming of the new school year, but I don't. I don't because it means I won't get to spend every second of every day watching Abby, Isaac, and Brady grow and change (and admittedly, bicker and fight sometimes). And of course, I don't because Logan isn't here. It boggles my mind to think that had that whole bastard cancer thing never happened, he would be entering the third grade. Third grade! It feels so old. And though he was much wiser than a third grader --and me and just about everyone I know, to be truthful-- by the time he passed on, the sting of him not being here for yet another first day of school is here. And it's painful.

So onto today's image.

There were plenty of nice moments today. There was the "Share a Diet Coke with Logan" bottle that my friend in Texas posted to my Facebook wall. There was the sight of Abby cutting up her own enormous pancake at brunch without so much as a whine or whimper. There was the annual trip to see the full class lists for the year and the requisite photo opp that accompanies said excursion. But it was this hot rod that grabbed my attention.

It was parked in the lot outside our brunch spot, and the second I saw it, it practically yelled "TAKE MY PICTURE!" I've said it before, but Logan loved cool cars. And he really adored flame jobs. In the back of my cobwebby mind, I can still her his precious little voice enthusiastically declaring "look! It has a flame job!"

I'm thankful for this cool car. I'm thankful that I saw it and that it helped to temper just a granule of the pain I feel over Logan's absence.