Simplicity

I walked my girls to school this morning.

This is no mean feat; often our mornings are so rushed and everybody is so far behind in terms of hair brushed, lunches packed, eyeglasses forgotten, etc, that we usually have little to no time to spare to allow for the kid-paced ten minute walk to the school, and end up driving instead.

But this morning things clicked a little better, and we were able to leave in plenty of time. It's a cool fall day here, with the ground still wet from last night's rain and the neighbourhood elm trees beginning to shed their leaves. The sun is behind a thick layer of cloud, and the birds and squirrels are chattering at each other, often drowning out the constant thrum of distant rush-hour traffic.

We walk hand in hand, me in the middle. The younger comments how warm my hand is, and her hand feels small, cool, and safe in my grasp. As we make our way to the school, I feel like I'm in an earthly slice of heaven - a very pure, clear moment of serenity. Just me and my girls.

I drop them off, exchanging kisses at their classroom doors (I plan on enjoying that for as long as they let me). Another mom there hands me a bag of clothes which don't fit her kids any more and I gratefully receive them and return home. This is just one example of how God provides for us, for those of you who wonder how a single-income family can possibly get by in today's world.

As I write this, my third daughter is playing with her Thomas the Tank Engine set (don't worry, we checked for the leaded paint recalls) on the low table which I built for her on the eve of her birthday. The used track pieces we received had been glued down previously, and many of them are still glued together or had broken in the disassembly process, so I had repaired some and set them aside to dry; today I add a newly-repaired bridge component to her set, generating squeals of delight.



This, I tell you, this is the life.