Travelers- Always, In Distress, Cue the Rain

1. My heart is tight for all the love and sweet sorrow I try to suppress. We stand at the curb of the airport terminal behind the open trunk to retrieve her backpack. The final hug when tears spring unbidden and I repeat (to myself or to her, I'm not sure.), "It's okay. It's okay."My lips are on her cheek and I miss her.
2. Henri and I were heading north on NC Route 86, four hours to home when I hit a huge hunk of old muffler in the road. It blew the tire, bent the rim, and there I was, standing on the grassy side of the road in the iconic cell phone-to-the-ear pose. Within minutes, a highway worker happened by and heard my distress. He had that soft, southwestern Virginia/North Carolina accent, a most polite demeanor, and a save-the-day attitude. He even said hello to Henri. I told the young man he was my angel today.
3. Home again! To an empty house this time. Even Steve is away. The low clouds and steady rain suit my mood. I eventually migrated to the porch where I sat and let my thoughts wander to the sound of rain.
3a. I picked tomatoes in the warm rain, the back of my shirt getting first damp and then wet.
4. Tess came home for a couple of hours. She let me lie on her bed and chat with her.

To Laugh Just for the Fun of It, Claire Cooks, The Ridge Line

1. From her carseat in the back we hear three-year-old giggles turn to full belly laughs until she sighs to catch her breath. We have no idea why she is laughing. The giggles bubble up again and it's such a wildly happy sound that we're all caught in the giggle contagion.
2. Claire made a delicious quiche for our dinner. I love quiche but rarely make it because I'd be alone eating it.
2a. Later, she made Kettle Corn on the stove for us. We always find this to be a tricky one to get right but hers turned out really good.
3. We're driving past the very ridges and mountains that took her months to walk and climb. Now we speed past them in mere hours. It's mind boggling and sobering to think about our pace of life.

Get Your Own Coffee Please, Sweet Pea, Gathering 'Round (and Up and Down)

1. His alarm was set for an early flight. It woke us both, but unlike him, I stayed put and blissfully fell back to sleep.
2. Mari takes a much better interest in her food when it has names like, "Princess Sandwich" and "Circus Yogurt". It's also amazing what a few rainbow sprinkles can accomplish.
2a. I check on her before I go to bed. I remember kneeling by our own sleeping little girls with overwhelming love. Love that easily turns into prayers for all good things...
3. It's Chelsea's last night at home. Tess, Audrey and Jared were here for dinner along with one of Chelsea's high school friends. We talked well into the night and they all made me laugh with their stories.
3a. It's been a week full of emotional highs and even some lows. I pause to catch my breath every now and then and find great comfort knowing that God is always near to help me get my bearings.
4. The hysterically funny moment when we realize Audrey's fantastic new hair dye matches Loverboy's Palomino coat.

We were all doubled over with laughter at this point.

It was a complete coincidence that their hair matched...or was it?

Always making me laugh.

White Blaze Withdrawal, Caring, I Wouldn't Miss It

1. Chelsea didn't have the time to ease off the trail; she left it cold turkey. So, when she suggested a day hike to McAffee's Knob I said okay. She said it was 1.) an easy hike, 2.) three miles in, and 3.) the trail was like a highway. She would even carry Mari on her back. She breezed it. I huffed it. It was such a hot day, too! It took us seven hours to cover the seven mile round trip. What an appreciation I gained for thru hikers. I will never ever even consider hiking the Appalachian Trail.
1a. Mari was so easy to hike with. She pirouetted down the trail when we let her down to walk. She picked flowers and grasses, and was curious about all the wildlife.
1b. Chelsea showed us the Sassafras that was growing everywhere. She pulled up a little piece and scratched the root. It smelled just like root beer.
2. When we were almost near the end and those last grueling steps down were killing my knees she said, in a voice filled with concern, "I hope I didn't break you, Mom." (She knew I had a date tonight.)
3. Steve and I went to see Pat Metheny and the Unity Group. Thirty years ago Steve had Pat Metheny tickets and reluctantly sold them because he had a thermodynamics test. The poor guy waited all these years for another opportunity to see Pat Metheny in concert. It was worth the wait.

Mari Visits

1. Mom, Dad and little brother have gone home and left Mari to stay for a visit. She is a sweet, imaginative little girl who is easily content. I have no pool or big activities scheduled as the visit was not planned. But no matter. She's happy to play in a dish pan of water : ) She doesn't want TV, electronics or computer. She's much happier with songs, stories, Polly Pockets and her aunts.

2. Before her mom left her with us, she said not to spoil her. She immediately realized the nonsense of saying it and said, "Never mind."
3. The Bocci balls were too heavy for her to throw, so we let her throw the little white ball (the Pallino) at the start of each game. She lost interest when she spotted a field full of Queen Anne's lace and I told her she could pick them.

Home for a Day, Four Paths, Peace

1. The weary travelers pulled into the driveway at 9:00 this morning. They drove through the night from Maine to Virginia and wanted only the simplest things: showers, rest, and food. I can provide that!
2. As the day wore on and everyone's energy levels were revived, we migrated outside to enjoy the sunshine and beautiful weather. They aired their tents and we listened to each other stories of all that's been going on with new homes, new jobs, and adventures. Each sister highly values what the other is doing.
3. My all-time, favorite summer activity, which I look forward to the most, is spending an evening on the porch visiting with our family. It's dark outside the screen and the crickets and cicadas sing into the night. Candle lights flicker on the table making it feel like we're enclosed in our own little capsule of peace. I am thankful for this brief moment when time stands still.

Us, Thinking Ahead, Gray is Good (for me)

1. To temper: take the edge off, make reasonable, chill out, modulate, mollify, tone down...It's what he does for me. Our marriage is where something imperfect becomes perfection in a never-ending cycle...thirty-three years today and counting. Thanks be to God.
2. Tess and I toured the Roanoke College campus under umbrellas this morning, in a rain that never let up. Every building had it's own good scent which was accentuated by the dampness. The gym smelled like wood polish, the fine arts building like ink and paper, and the older buildings like age itself.
3. I really like rainy days. They soothe and calm my spirit.