just another thursday

“And, above all, becoming a grandparent offers a chance to love in a different way, a love without the thorny crown of self-interest.
I wish I could say I loved my children that way, but it wouldn’t be true, and it wouldn’t be true of anyone I know, either.”

― Anna Quindlen, Nanaville: Adventures in Grandparenting

He comes to play, as he always does, on Thursday. He is full of ideas and opinions about how we might spend the day. He and Grandpa play knights and dragons, and I get down on the floor with him to work on the city he is creating in the living room with wooden blocks. After lunch we head outside to rake leaves. The sun is out and it is a perfect autumn day. He and Grandpa rake the same piles over and over. Grandpa always willing to re-rake the piles so he can stomp through them. I watch as the two of them finely scoop the leaves up and put them into the large yard bags. As late afternoon sets in I feel a chill in the air and do my best to heard them inside for a snack. We do a bit of clean up, and get ready to go meet his parent’s for dinner. I am tired, ready to hand him over, but also overflowing with love, knowing I will miss him as soon as we part ways.

***


the garden

"Everything that slows us down and forces patience,
everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help.
Gardening is an instrument of grace."

-May Sarton

I spend a few hours in the yard today. I cut back perennials and rake leaves. The earth smells like apples, and a freshness I can’t quite put my finger on, a sort of memory I suppose.. The soil is dark and wet, and some of the flowers release themselves with just a tug, their leaves brown and shriveled. Others demand to be snipped with my clippers. There is more to be done, but I don’t push myself as I am not quite ready to let the garden go.

***

election night

“Voting is the expression of our commitment to ourselves, one another, this country,
and this world.” 

– Sharon Salzberg

I am doing my very best to not turn on the TV to watch the returns.
I bought myself sunflowers today, to celebrate . . . or at least bring me some joy! .

***

taking note

"The quality of presence determines the quality of life." 

~ Jack Kornfield

hello november,
you with your wet, gray sky,
barren trees, and cold winds
we open our hearts to longer evenings
crisper days, candle light, rain
and hot cocoa
i welcome you with an open heart 
so what do you say that we work together this year. . .
you do what you do best
and I promise to take excellent notes

***

color in the garden

“How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days.”
- John Burroughs

Today’s secret to happiness was finding color in the garden!