a good choice

Sometimes life gathers momentum and you have the false sense that you are being whisked along from one thing to the next...but when it feels that way it seems important to stand back occasionally and realize that it is all a result of the choices we make. Once when I was a tender eighteen years old and my dad was very sick in the hospital, confronting his mortality and the reality of our growing up without him, he told me and my sister that we should always remember this: life isn't something that happens to you. It's something you work at.

He always had one of those little aphorisms at the ready! But that particular one quietly embedded itself deep inside me and occasionally it floats up to the surface, a gentle yet firm reminder that can refocus my vision. So on Sunday morning we decided to skip church, bundle up, and go walking by the water instead.

The sun was bright, the air crisp, and we four landed on a bench together, soaking in the light and watching a lone sea gull head out towards the Bay. Before that, Frances and Gabriel had to set up a kids-only area in a little gazebo and take notes in their nature journals. I am so grateful for them, these strange, charming, and frustrating idiosyncratic creatures that came from another planet to live with us.

What a shining, beautiful morning to be out. We four needed that time together. It was a good choice!

And speaking of choices: I was so surprised and happy to discover yesterday that Homemade Time has been nominated for a "Best Family Blog" Homie award at Apartment Therapy. If you have a moment, would you consider showing your support and giving Homemade Time your vote? The nomination ballot can be found here.

Happy Monday, everyone!