A Perfect Day

Dear self,
This is just a reminder to never forget today. 

Never forget...

• Savoring a sweet lunch as a family of four at Red Robin. No whining. No fighting the kids to eat. They even ordered for themselves for the first time today.
• The blessing of the rain stopping and the sun shining just as you pulled up to Uncle David's New Smyrna house.
• Soaking in the family gathered all around you...all 30 and 3 on the way.
• The pure joy in the eyes of your children riding on the back of the pontoon boat. Wind blowing their hair, eyes dancing, reflecting the sparkle of the canal.
• The day spent on the disappearing island. How the tide receded and there it was. An island oasis all to ourselves.
• The joy of new discoveries...hermit crabs, regenerating starfish, live sand dollars, well-armored sea snails, blue crabs, tiny crabs, ghost crabs.  Casting a line and catching amber jack and catfish.
• The pure joy of your children in their tidal pool discoveries. The silent skittle of millions of tiny crab feet scurrying as one through the blade grass. Finding live barnacles among the dead ones and hidden hermit crabs in various shells among other unusual mollusks.
• Hearing your children screech and bounce on their toes at each new discovery.
• Watching cousins hold hands as they walk the expanse of new land to discover.  Watch them taste and see that what God has made is truly good.
• Running through the shallow waters with your niece and relishing the sweet sound of an adoring "Aunt Jenn" uttered from the mouths of babes.  Their smiles.  Their joy when you see them, really see them and appreciate their attention.
• Realizing God still has newness to be discovered in the world around us...never far from our very fingertips.
• The sweet taste of a simple, loaded baked potato, grilled pork chops, and a Stavros salad at the end of a long and happy day.  The feeling of being full to the brim in every sense of the word full.  Satisfied with life.  Satiated with a day well spent and a meal much needed.
• Taking in the sights and sounds of your family enveloping the summer air of that back porch...seeping into the depths of your heart and soul. Each face. Each smile. Each voice. Each giggle, twirl, and crooked smile of every child. Each endearing and knowing look of every adult. My family. My blood. My heartbeat. The times like these are fast fleeting. Hold them. Ponder them. Treasure them.
• Playing ring-around-the-rosy with your nieces and watching their eyes shine and their small hands reach for each other and hold on tightly.  May you always reach for your family and hold on tightly.  May we always give you a reason to want to.
• The sweet comfort of the independence of your own children on this day. Five and three has been a great year.
• Watching your daughter dance party with her cousins, toes pointed, heart abandoned. So grown up. So beautiful. So full of everything life is. Seeing all that she is and all that she will be in that moment.
• Your son choosing daddy over you...kayaking, fishing, riding the Moped. Just loving his dad. Loving being a boy. Loving the world God made just for him too.
• The feeling of not wanting to leave as the day wound down and each family trickled out the door of their own accord. 

Never forget wanting to stop time and hold on for just one second more. The warmth. The love. The community. The way the world feels when all is right.

Never forget the perfect day. Hold each memory tight.  Store it with your treasure in heaven. Never forget.

And next time....don't forget your camera either:)