If you read my last post, you know where this is coming from. Being faced with a tragic loss forces you to choose how to look at life; become sad and passive, or appreciate everyday and take it as a gift. Not that everybody who knew Sara isn't still grieving- that process will continue on for quite some time. But it has also caused me to take the time to enjoy life and my loved ones.
Since losing Sara I have prayed every day for her and her family, that she knows how much she is still loved and missed, and that all those affected find peace and hope. At the same time, I have tried to find magic in the little moments again- something that is easily lost in the everyday hustle and bustle and the demands and stresses of day to day life.
I have taken my children camping and fishing, where we explored the wonders of the outdoors, including all the pinecones and bugs that any boy could ever want, and practiced casting fishing poles and reeling them in, but mostly reeling them in because let's face it, playing with a string that winds quickly around a hunk of metal by turning a handle is very amusing when you are three or five years old.
We went outside on an unseasonably cool summer night and decorated the sidewalk, collecting the attention of the neighbors driving by and slowing down to admire their artwork.
We turned dinner into a project, allowing the boys to heap on piles of cheese and olives and pepperoni onto dough and make their very own mini pizzas that they ate with pride and vigor.
We spent time playing in the water at a friend's house, splashing and laughing and enjoying the time outdoors (and perhaps testing the weight limits of inflatable water slides).
