Treasured Friends

Gracie and her little friend Emma have a special friendship...one that reminds me a lot of their moms....

Oh my friend, Laura. She is one wonderful girl. There are those people that you are always meaning to see but never seem to make the visit.

Laura is one of my very dearest friends. From long ago during camp days when we spent all-nighters in the office working on I don't even remember what to the long summer camp days Laura was that person that kept me in check.

She was the girls' director and I, the program director. She encouraged me, laugh at me and with me, and supported me when things were very difficult.

Laura and Nathaniel (the avid photographers)

But, she wasn't just my friend, she was my brother's friend. She encouraged him, laughed with him and at him, and always wanted the best for him. That meant a lot to me then and it still means a lot to me now. Nathaniel would be so glad to know that we are still close and we still share in eachother's lives.

Laura and Nathaniel

So, when you see a treasured friend like Laura and time doesn't seem to have really ever passed except that it really really has, you soak it all in.

When we worked at camp we were young and our children were the little campers that came each week. Much has happened since those camp days. There have been losses, joys and sorrows, celebrations, new careers, homes and adventures....and motherhood. Watching Laura as a mom is pretty incredible. She is all the things I loved most about her...and more.


Surrounded by her beautiful little girls I enjoyed every moment, just grateful to be with her.

Sweet Little Emma (Laura's oldest daughter and Graciebug's little friend)

And what do I love? I love that my little girl and her little girl adore each other.



And I think that no matter the years that pass they too will always pick up right where they left off.


And that makes me smile.

One of THOSE Days...

It was one of THOSE days. You know the kind. My usual dealing mechanism is "shut down." Just stick to the must-do's. I decided a different approach tonight. It all changed course when my daughter noticed my mood.

"You look sad sitting over there, Mom. Want to talk about it?" (What?) After getting over the fact that my daughter just asked me if I wanted to "talk about it" I decided I should talk, but not about "it." I decided we would take a bubble bath together and discuss our favorite things. So we did. It was perfect. Her favorite fruit? Apple. Mine? Raspberry. We talked about all our favorite fruits. We decided that one must never say just one favorite fruit because there are simply too many delicious fruits that one could leave out! Then I asked about vegetables.

"Carrots, celery and cheese," she said. I informed her that cheese was not a vegetable. She said she knew that but it should be. I love the world according to Gracie.

She told me "Once Upon a Time" stories. I listened, but mostly just watched her sweet face as she expressed each detail.

We talked and laughed and I felt...better. I almost missed out, because what I always do when it is one of THOSE days is stay task-oriented. I clean things. I clean floor boards with damp cloths. I reorganize and disorganize. I clean bathrooms. I drop the good stuff. I would've sent her to shower and busied myself with some checklist item. This time, I didn't. I didn't because my little girl asked if we could talk about it. I am happy to report the floor boards are dirty.

Sunday Snapshots: This Easter

In the city a good Easter egg hunt takes a good game plan and a lot of Easter bunnies.


After a scrumptious lunch, the dads headed to a nearby park laiden with baskets of eggs. Their plan? Scope out a good spot in the corner of the park with beautiful spring flowers and no broken glass bottles. Mission accomplished. It was a perfect spot for our afternoon of fun.


They may just have had as much fun hiding them as the little ones did finding them. While guarding the perimeters of their beautiful location full of its hidden treasures, the little ones played at Annette's eagerly awaiting the call from the Easter bunny that it was time to grab their shoes, baskets and smiles .
They walked in lines holding hands with friends and chatting together, when they rounded the corner and saw their dads in the distance they broke out in a run.
Tiptoeing through the daffodils and checking around every tree and rock they soon filled their baskets.







Levi decided that a bigger bucket was necessary for all his spoils.

My girl. What can say?
She is growing up...I saw her running around and searching with these sweet little ones that are nearly half her age now. I remember when she was that young. I thought it was yesterday, but I have a big sister, older friend, and little helper on my hands now.
Mackenzie and My Graceanna. How great are children's smiles. They are one the best things in life if you ask me...and even if you don't.
Another one of the sweet smiles.




After all those eggs were found it was time to sit and share their finds.



Oh, daffodils. My favorite flower since the beginning of time. Really, they are just one of my favorite things all around. My sweet daughter knows this. We have sweet stories we share. One I like to share with her is of when I was little and my mom would take me to pick the first daffodils of the spring. I have kept that tradition going for 30 some years....Gracie and I play a little game at night we call, "I Love You More Than Ice Cream Cones and Daffodils." They bring more joy than I can really explain. They are one of those special things about life that I savor....

Well, as our Easter egg hunt came to a close a beautiful 6-year-old girl with a joy-filled smile came bounding to me with an armful of daffodils. Daffodils she had just picked illegally from the park's precious patches of spring flowers. It wasn't one or two, but a whole bouquet. They were beautiful..."For you, Mama! Happy Easter!" I started to say, "Oh, no." But I stopped myself. I am such a stickler for the rules...as an adult, at least. But this. I didn't want to ruin the moment. It reminded me of another little girl in the park with her mom some 30 years ago... They were beautiful. And as I am typing this they are beside me in a mason jar (my preferred vase for daffodils). And I am proud of them...well, I guess, I am really proud of the girl who gave them to me.

Ice Cream Cones and Daffodils to my sweet thoughtful girl.

Sunday Snapshots

Pure Joy.
I love rainy days with kids. Children look at rainy days and see opportunity. They see the possibilities for fun. Last Sunday, a few families went out to brunch to celebrate a friend's birthday. It was a cold rainy day in the city. It was one of those days that New Yorkers grumble about and parents worry about their children getting muddy and catching cold. Not kids though. Kids love rainy days. And these little ones were no different.


During brunch, they stood in the restaurant's window with their umbrellas ready dreaming of being out in the rain.

So, out we went. Five little ones excited about the possibilities of puddles to splash in and rain to dance in.


While parents worried about the jeans that would soon be soaked five children lived in the moment of joy.



Taking in every puddle they could find.




But joy is contagious, especially when it comes pouring out of children. I know I saw a few smiles and some laughter from a few of those moms and dads. The scene behind me while these little ones huddled in for a picture was of 5 crazy dads dancing in the street just to see the smiles of their kids. Now, that's worth a rainy day to me!


Oh, for the beauty of children and all their joy. What a gift!

Home to Carolina

We ended our winter here with a trip home to Carolina to visit my mom. While there, another snow storm surprised us. It was the perfect opportunity to get out and enjoy the newly fallen snow.


We arrived at the Biltmore to find it quiet without the day's usual herds of visitors. What a perfect day to enjoy its beauty. We explored while the snow blanketed the estate.





Jodi and I bravely snapped picture with plastic bags over our precious Canons.


Gracie and Gramsy made the most of the beautiful giant flakes that fell softly all day.