Sunday Snapshot: Easter in the Park

We spent our second Easter in the city at our friends annual brunch and egg hunt in the city. While dads hid eggs in a local park, moms walked a crew of about 20 excited kids across streets and city blocks to the little corner of the park where eggs hid awaiting their discovery by little hands.
While I stood there watching my daughter run about with her friends and tiptoe through the flowers, I thought about how nice it was to have a bit of the familiar. For the last two years, we have lived in the same city and country. And that has been ... well...refreshing and comfortable.

For my daughter, I am just filled with that joy a mom feels when her daughter has a really good friend who makes her laugh, treats her with kindness and who just loves her for being her. That is her little friend, Isabella. How grateful I am for that.
So, I captured a few pictures while my mind was wandering nostalgically over the last two years here in the city. It has been a really really great experience. And right now, I am not sure where we will be next Easter. And because of that, we really soaked in each moment. We have been doing that a lot lately. Not wanting to waste any moments, any memories or miss out on any great places here in the city, we are making the most of every moment.

Transition certainly isn't easy, but there is always the richness you can gain when you don't take your time for granted. So, whether egg hunting in a little city park in Harlem or visiting Starry Starry Night at the MOMA or just sitting in my Brooklyn apartment listening to the spring rain saturate our street, I am going to soak in each moment ... so much better than wasting away time waiting for the future...

Besides, this present is pretty incredible...no matter where it is...in the city, the country, the island life or the Queen's country...

By the Sea

It has been a long time since we have been away from the city. So, to get away from the city, we went to Seattle. I know. It is city. No offense, Seattle. It is a beautiful place. My daughter has defined city as the busy, hurried, loud streets of NYC. We drove from the airport to her cousin's house in Seattle and Graciebug took a deep sigh as she looked out the window at the shore of the sound dappled with houses and said, "I love the country!" We laughed, but we knew what she meant.


It has been a long winter in the city and everyone, even seasoned New Yorkers, need to find their way away from the streets and concrete to breathe in the fresh air. And us, we aren't life longers in the city we love. At heart, my daughter wants to explore the outdoors and return to the days of living by the sea. She misses the island life.

But it is more than that. It has been a busy, stressful time and Gracie feels things intensely. A little refocus, a little family and lots of fresh air was just what she needed...what we all needed.
Being able to take a few moments to let go of all the things you need to do, all the places you need to be, and all the roles you need to play to just be right where you should be, just the way you truly want (and need) to be is pretty refreshing...rejuvenating.
So we did that. We were still and we were busy being not so busy. We played in the rain...like we used to when we were living in the islands, a place that knows what it means to be. We splashed in the ocean. We played. We spent time with family. We just lived in the moment.
And in time, her worried, heavy heart was replaced with a big smile and a laugh so full and wonderful, it made my heart fill with joy.

Just to be...




This is the face of a very content and happy little girl. I learned a lesson during our week in Seattle (the countryside). I need to make sure we take BACK more of that time that we spend in the busy world and get back to the life we learned how to live in the islands and spend a bit more time splashing in the sea.