sickness

My friend and I took the kids to the zoo on Sunday. Now her whole family is afflicted with a serious stomach bug. I am crossing my fingers and seriously praying that we don't get it. Knock on wood, we all seem to be fine at this point. No barfing at our house yet, and if we are very lucky it will stay that way.

I can handle being sick. I don't like it of course, but I can handle it. Now seeing the little ones sick, that kills me! I would so much rather take it on myself than see them deal with it. Of course, when Riley was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes, none of us knew how we would handle it. But being the amazing little girl that she is, she has taken all the struggles in stride and shown us what grace under fire is all about. It is quite incredible and I sometimes marvel at how something so traumatic at first, now seems common and mundane-just another part of our everyday life. I guess we all play with the cards we are dealt. Today I'm hoping that some aces are coming our way!

shiny bits

I cannot remember it snowing this much in Tennessee since we moved here 13 years ago. It's hard to believe I have lived here so long. I never expected it. When I had to move here from Montana I was heartbroken. Montana felt like home from the moment I arrived. It was the kind of place I'd always wanted to live. And I still miss it. But Tennessee has it's own charms that have grown on me over the years. I adore the dance of the fireflies over a moonlit summer lawn and the scent of honeysuckle that floats to me on the breeze at the most unexpected moments and the riot of colored leaves that form rainbow drifts in the fall. Tennessee has also seen some of the most difficult moments in my life. And somehow through those rock-hard moments I have discovered surprising strength in myself. Coming out the other side, I've become more of who I am supposed to be. Or maybe I have just uncovered and washed away some of the things that weren't necessary and unearthed the shiny bits of me that were buried underneath.