With All the Colors of the Wind

I find myself in an exhausting season of life. We have endured many months of little, oft-interrupted sleep; of frequent and recurring illness; of gray skies and rain and too much time indoors; of wily/emotional/needy young children and my own insufficient patience and grace for them. I don't think I've been depressed, really, but often discouraged for sure.

It is so easy to see only the endless laundry, the dirty floors and dirty dishes and dirty bathrooms, the persistent squabbling and uncombed hair and worn out/mismatched/too-small/too-big clothing and little fingernails in need of clipping (and scrubbing!). And yet, we have had some good times, too.

These kids are funny. Thank goodness they help me to laugh, each and every day.

Last Thursday, after I got back from a doctor appointment (PINK EYE! ACK!), we had a momentary miracle. Soren took a nap and the older two and I got to paint. Of course I was too involved to think of taking photos in the moment (a good thing, I think), but recognizing the event is important.

These pictures say,

• We had fun together.
• We made something lovely.
• We did something proactive, rather than reactive.
• We enjoyed one another as fellow humans, peacefully.

I have hope that these times will happen more often and more easily in the near future.

This post was written thanks to streaming episodes of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.

That man was a saint.