Lovely little things, 5

Some of the lovely little things that made up my week.

Paper airplanes

It had been one of those dinners. Negotiating and painfully counting bites on one side, screaming and tight-lipped refusals on the other. The calm I had enjoyed earlier in the day had dissolved into tears and arguing and just plain loud. So we finished as much of the meal as we could and retreated to the living room and I thought about turning on the TV because it, of all things, will deliver quiet. And the Olympics were on. We’d find something educational or at least feel redeemed somehow.

But M was making paper airplanes and they were sending them back and forth across the room. And even the baby was getting into it, crumpling his as he tried to launch it, then picking it up at his feet and bringing it back to Daddy for repairs. And big sister was learning about trajectory and gravity as she tried to get hers to float across the room rather than nose-dive to the floor. And they giggled and scrambled and flew.

And the TV remained dark.

Hop, jump, jive, wail

They all filed in and sat with their classes and waited. And the director reminded them again of the reason we’re here. Why we’re hopping today. To raise money and raise awareness about leukemia and lymphoma. To do something.

And then as Brian Setzer and his orchestra filled the room with sound, that whole room of kids began hopping. And they kept hopping until the song ended. And me and the baby and Miss N hopped too. And we danced. And it was chaotic and loud and busy and a perfect way to get the jumps out on a cold day in February before the snow comes. And then they cheered. They did it.

And tonight she needed some help remembering why we hopped. But we talked about it and I gave her the prompts and we’ll keep talking about it so she can keep remembering.

(My daughter’s school holds an annual Hop-a-thon to raise money and awareness about Leukemia and Lymphoma. Want to start this tradition at your school?)

Love and friends

They came in and stood at my island on stools and excitedly cut out cookies. And they sat to eat lunch and commented so sweetly on the festive heart-shaped sandwiches and strawberry lemonade. And then they were off. Upstairs. Running. Dressing up. They came back down as fairy princess superheroes. And the three of them pretended and imagined and played and did the things that little girls do with friends. And I learned that one of my mama sweet spots is hosting a couple of my girl’s friends. Baking cookies and helping little feet step into tutus and attaching hearts with glitter glue.

More love and more friends

Birthdays are special days on their own. And I love the natural point they inspire to pause and reflect.

But birthdays are made more special by friends. And sweet thoughts shared. And I am so blessed with friends and love. Thank you for making my day so lovely.

Favorite Words

I want to be where the talk of the town
Is about last night when the sun went down
And the trees all dance
And the warm wind blows in that same old sound
And the water below gives a gift to the sky
And the clouds give back every time they cry
And make the grass grow green beneath my toes
And if the sun comes out
I’ll paint a picture all about
The colors I’ve been dreaming of
The hours just don’t seem enough
To put it all together
Maybe it’s as strange as it seems
And the trouble I find is that the trouble finds me
It’s a part of my mind it begins with a dream
And a feeling I get when I look and I see
That this world is a puzzle, I’ll find all of the pieces
And put it all together, and then I’ll rearrange it
I’ll follow it forever
Always be as strange as it seems
Nobody ever told me not to try

~Jack Johnson, Talk of the Town, Curious George Soundtrack

What lovely little things are you thankful for this week?