The Good, The Beautiful, The Hard...That's Life

(This post was written earlier this week...on a day when Scott was out of town and it was just the girls and I hanging out). 

Ella with her muffins! 

There are days, like today, when everything feels right. 

The sun is shining. The birds are singing. The small pond in the backyard lays still and restless as the summer sun beats down on it.

The girls are riding their bikes, and mostly getting along.

Ella came into  my bedroom at 7:30 this morning and woke me with all the spunk and pizzazz that she is. Making spitting noises with her lips, pulling on my sheets, hitting me on the head with her small dog lovey (the worn one that she sleeps with every night). I left the t-shirt over my head to block the sun and her beckoning tactics...that is until Ava crawled in behind me on the other side. She snuggled in and gave me a hug, the way that is so typical of who she is.

We had a slow and easy morning, the kind I longed for during the preschool year when we were out the door early 3 days a week.  The kind I know I will be longing for again come late September when the newness of school has worn off. 

We made blueberry banana muffins, me in the middle, one girl on a stool on either side-- I dolled out the instructions and the ingredients while they dutifully added them and took turns stirring. Ella squeezed me with a warm hug, Ava smiled big smiles.

As they pestered me for warm muffins 45 minutes later I was full of gratitude for it all.

Full and reminded that THIS, all of this, is a blessing not to be taken for granted. A gift of health and ability that I am presently reminded daily is not always part of the experience. Because while today feels "right" in my little corner of the world, it is not "right" everywhere, something I am keenly aware of.

My brother and his wife sit in a small hospital room in Cincinnati, day after day, away from family, tired from broken sleep and wait, as patiently as they can for a liver to become available for their beautiful little four month old girl who is quite sick right now (click here to read her story). The idea of it takes my breath away. It makes me angry and sad and full of compassion and a wanting to help.

It makes me realize that I too often take all of these blessed moments for granted.

So today I will offer extra praises to my Heavenly Father for the abundant blessings in my life. I will also offer extra prayers for Cliff (my brother), Dani (his wife), and little miss Cordelia...that God would be pouring moments of grace, extra strength and love out onto them in their day.