May 7

Today was another BLAH one, but I did what I could do look for the good --the God-- in it.

After the boys woke me up extra early this morning with their witty repartee, I bumbled around the house getting ready for the day's events. Much to my surprise --and, embarrassingly, my delight-- I found a lonely Peppermint Patty stashed inside a Target bag in the pantry.

I'd thought the kiddos had eaten all of them, and it was a lovely surprise.

Just candy, but a favorite of mine. And so good with morning coffee!

May 6

Today was a frustrating one. Not for any particular reason; I just woke up sneezing, and was short-tempered for a number of mostly trivial reasons.

And then of course, it poured down rain this afternoon just as we had to pick Abby up from school. So what did the kiddos do between the classroom and the car?

Yep, they took off their shoes and jackets and got completely soaked. And I let them; it was a relatively warm rain. And they had fun.

May 5

I was thinking this morning that it'd been a while since I'd seen pretty clouds. You know, the ones that make you suck in your breath and think wow, what a picture. Today's late-afternoon sky looked like this:

I don't believe in coincidences, so I took it as a sweet little gift; something beautiful that I didn't ask for, per se, but appreciated nonetheless.

May 4

Certain scents can elicit powerful memories. At least, that's a truth for me. Though I suspect it's a universal one.

While Abby and I were walking this evening after dinner, we passed by several pockets of these:

They smell absolutely amazing -- soft and sweet and delicate and floral. Even better, they don't make my nose itch like so many flowers often do.

But the best thing about these flowers are the memories they hold for me. When I was in college, bunches of these grew near the library on campus. I remember how I'd slow my pace and slowly inhale that delicate scent, and then hold my breath to relish the bouquet for as long as possible.

Now, all these years later, they're not only appealing for their scent, but also for their connection to my late teens and early 20s, when life was so much less complicated.

And that olfactory connection is a blessing.

May 3

I had a few ideas for today's entry. But I chucked all of 'em after an important realization came to me this evening: today is Abby's half-birthday.

That fact hit me rather suddenly as she and I took an evening stroll along the soon-to-be-major road that passes behind our house. Eight-and-a-half on the nose.

Half-birthdays may seem silly, and in a way, they are. After all, our society celebrates everything in anniversary form. A year just seems like a logical point of remembrance.

But since I've experienced loss --since I'll never (never... sit in that word, roll in it, feel it for a minute...) get to celebrate another earthly birthday with my sweet sunshine ever again-- special days mean more. Even the special days that no one else even identifies as special will be on my radar because life --every single day of it, for better or for worse-- is worthy of celebration.

May 2

The Little Boys and I drove to Oakland today to pick up a copy of Brady's birth certificate. Somehow, I never got around to ordering one before now, and I wanted to negate the chance of any issues with flying in the months to come. Anyhow, before we hit the road, I pit stopped at Target to pick up some treats, and while we were there, of course we hit the car aisle. This immediately jumped out at me:

A pretty blue Vette. I think Logan would've loved it. I know I do. And I love that it made me think of him more, and of Heaven, since that's where he is now.

May 1

It's already May. What? How? Insanity.

Anyway, simple one today.

I took this image this morning. Then this afternoon, Isaac asked me if God made the flowers. I said yes, God made all of the beautiful things. And we get to look at those delicate pieces of handiwork every day. Pretty nice perk of humanhood, I think.