Little Things

Life is made of moments and here are a few I want to capture:

• Joking with my sister about her overenthusiastic Cervix as if it is a person and suggesting silly baby names to get her to laugh as she endures total bedrest to get her baby here with as much lung capacity as possible. I just love talking with her. She has a tremendous attitude about her current challenge and has become a rocking expert on all the best movies available on netflix. 
• Discovering new things about an old city. Yesterday I went to Lincoln's Cottage with friends and was delighted by this gem of a historical site set on a beautiful, heretofore unknown campus just a couple of miles from downtown D.C.. If you want to know more about Abraham Lincoln the man, go there. 
• Picking up my husband in the middle of the day to spend a couple of hours in the sunshine at said cottage. My kids took off to NYC instead so I convinced him to come and it was so fun to talk about Lincoln and history and everything. 
• The soaring thrill that happens when a favorite 11 year old runs across a meadow to greet me with a hug, and a favorite 6 year old pats the next seat and says, "Sit here Kellie!" Thank you for that, friends. You warmed my heart with your welcoming. 
• Hearing about my kids' day in the big city and marveling at their smarts, resourcefulness and adventurous attitudes as they took the bus up to New York and scrambled all over the city by foot and train. I helped create the circumstances for their fun day, but they did all the rest themselves. It's kind of a metaphor for motherhood, eh? I loved that they were curious and wanted to see so many things. They made a plan and had a great day together. 
• Visiting with another friend on her birthday. I've gotten to know her over the last few years and I feel grateful she's in my life. 
• Thinking about Abraham Lincoln. I've been reading about introverts and considering how to embrace my own introverted characteristics rather than always pretending to be an extrovert to get by. Abraham Lincoln is often mentioned as a "successful" introvert (yes, that idea deserves its own post). In an incident that was highlighted in the tour, Pres. Lincoln spoke harshly to someone in need because he felt stressed and claustrophobic and overwhelmed by everything around him during the horrors of the civil war. He immediately regretted his actions and did something very personal and meaningful for the man he had put off the day before. I similarly feel cornered sometimes and I say the DUMBEST things and immediately wish I hadn't. I'm always desiring to make it up to people after I survive a sensory onslaught with too little grace and poise. I so appreciated knowing about that moment in the life of someone in a really difficult situation and feeling a more personal connection to him.