Our Happy Place

Today, our lives met with the loss of a dear one that fought long and hard to be with his family, his children, his grandchildren.  He both loved and was loved.

And in that same hour, our lives met with the addition of beautiful new life.  I know that my friend, the new mama, was ready for that nine months to end and this miraculous new journey to begin.

And through it all, I’m reminded of the delicate nature of our being, the beautiful ebb and flow of breath and this precious gift called life.

Tonight,  I snuggled my littles just a bit closer, took my time breathing in their sweet scents, lingered over their dreamy inhales and exhales just a little longer, as though I was recording it all to memory, again. Because life really is a gift, it really is beautiful and miraculous and something that should be celebrated every single day.

Though I’m in the habit of enjoying this amazing and precious life on a daily basis, even if the fete is as small as giving my kids a romp in a tub full of warm suds, today, I’m reminded again of the blessing of waking up each morning to a bed full of hugs and cuddles, matted hair and sockless feet, a fresh new start and the promise of something grand.  And just knowing that, knowing that I’m drinking up every last drop of the goodness of life… that is my happy place.

Like this past weekend, after promising ourselves that this summer we were going to spend more time in the water, and realizing that we’re in the last month, summer’s own home stretch, we ran to the shore.

Our new happy place.

The place Chris was so proud to introduce us to, a place full of his childhood memories and now grown with a family of his own, he’s the proud papa watching as the kids and I explore and frolic.  Yes, frolic.

But not before loading up beach blankets and swim suits, towels and sunscreen, shovels and pails to accompany us on our excursion where babes sleep and adults tell stories, laugh between snorts and play airplane out the window.

Though this has only been my second time visiting this beautiful escape, it’s quickly becoming my favorite, and I predict many summers of exploring and frolicking these golden coasts.

And though this was only my second time, the greeting of sand and sun was just as wonderful as I thought it would be.

This time, we brought our own dear ones with us.  It was like introducing old friends to new ones, sharing our little happy corner of the world.

And my girl? Well, she was just in heaven, because anytime we can add more people to the mix, the party is just that more grand.

I think that somehow, each and every member of my family is part sea-creature, because being out in the water feels right at home.

My littlest love, whom Aliyah has so sweetly nicknamed cubby cheeks, tuckered himself right into a beach nap with all the spishin’ and splashin’ and kickin’ he did between waves.

And finally… after we’d done all the digging and sand castle building and wave riding we wanted, until we slurped up every drop and had our fill of the beach, we all settled in for a dinner together, to fill our bellies for the trek home.

And then we drove away into the navy sky, it was soon to be dark.  Littles fell back into a sleepy trance while the rest of us talked away the miles as the tires gripped the road.  We recalled the beauty of the day, the height of the hill we climbed, the feel of the sand between our toes and the warmth of the sun brushing our faces, and though it was all beautiful… perfectly, gloriously beautiful… I realized that we were taking our happy place with us.

This amazing, full, God-breathed, joyous life… together.  This is our happy place.

And you, please share, what is your happy place?