Morning Comforts

During my teenage years, my great-grandmother lived in a nursing home about thirty minutes from our home. Every Saturday, we would drive over to pick her up and usually take her to a town another thirty minutes east to see my other grandparents. We also usually got lunch and groceries. It was a busy day of errands and visits every weekend. It was also a lot of time in the car. 

One of my most comforting memories of this time in the car is sitting next to my great-grandmother. Often I would get tired and lay my head in her lap. She would gently smooth my hair behind my ear over and over again. It was so soothing. 

This morning I found myself remembering these rides from my childhood while sitting on my couch. It was dark in the living room, and my youngest, fourteen, was pushed up next to me, cradled in a comforter. I smoothed the hair from forehead to neck. Jane snuggled in tighter. None of us wanted to get up and get going this morning. It felt like a good day to just stay right where we were, let time stand still, and just relax in comfort. 

All Happy

Sunday we arrived at our campsite. It was the afternoon, and we went back and forth on whether we should start down a trail. 

I’ve been counting the days until we’d get here. Even though I wasn’t sure we’d all enjoy ourselves, I knew I needed the trees, air, and quiet to reset my mind. 

Me, realizing I'm finally in the woods.

As soon as I stepped on a trail, I felt renewed. It was shocking to me how restored and calm I felt. It was joy. I forgot what joy like this feels like, and I was experiencing it for the first time in a very long time. That’s not to say joy has been absent altogether, but this most definitely felt different. 

I think my joy was different because we were all feeling joy at the same time. I'm grateful.