...abundant love.

These two girls of mine know love. It's all I've ever wanted them to be sure of. That they are vessels of abundant love. That they are conductors of abundant love. That they are abundantly loved.

And between them is an intensity of love for each other so electric that it could light a small town. Blows my mind every day.






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...restoration.

Today I believe that sickness came to our house solely for the purpose of slowing us down. It took me a few days to figure it out, but oh how it was worth it. The fresh air seems to be the only remedy for Lola's croupy cough and after a long morning nap on daddy's chest she was ready to breath the fresh air deeply. She told me so by screaming at the top of her lungs and throwing herself on the floor. I don't know if she knew what she was asking for at the time. It was what we needed though.





















Our return home was perfectly timed as the sprinkles began to fall from the heavens and nourish the earth we walked upon.


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...a thaw.

And so I break the silence. The end of a long, cold winter. I feel the warmth returning to my bones. Bare feet on concrete. Baths to wash off the filth of a day outside. Freedom.

Lola begs to be outside all the time. Despite the brutal winds this spring. Despite the helicopter sized mosquitos. She just wants to walk and walk and walk. Her hunger to expand her world is so desperate. Stopping to point out random cars and dogs and kids. Crouching to inspect an ant hill and trying to pet the ants. Grinning and squealing as she shuffles down the walk on her toddler bow-legs. Stilted and reckless.

It feels good to be back here.


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...an off beat rhythm.

I've never liked the idea of having a "routine" or following a "schedule". Perhaps it is just a function of my desire to be non-conforming. And maybe it's just that it doesn't feel quite right for me. Over the last few years I have found the phrase "rhythm of my life" falling seamlessly into my vocabulary. Rhythm. That is the word that sits so nicely in my bones. It implies that there is a certain ebb and flow in any given moment and yet the tempo can change and the dance can continue. It allows for the many energies that make up my family to create one dynamic rhythm that we can all groove on.

There are frequently days on end when our family has fallen out of rhythm. It's like listening to the static between radio stations. It often happens when we are all moving too quickly to stop and tune us back in. But it never feels like we have failed to maintain a "routine" or follow a "schedule". It just means we have to fine tune. And that removes the intellectual analysis of how our lives are functioning. It's a feeling, a balance, a gut reaction, an intuitive sense of what is needed in the present moment.

In this moment, right now, I am feeling a little off beat. My Rx for that? Immersion. Complete and total immersion in my family. Face to face, side by side, orbiting around each other. A couple of days is ideal but often a small portion of an hour creates a harmony that can carry us through the next up tempo frenzy of our lives. Tonight I will set our dinner table with an earthy and rich Indian stew. Warmth from a spicy homemade chutney balanced with a cool, tangy yogurt. And we will sit over this meal. Facing each other while we tune out the world and tune into each other.

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