Moments

Walking out of the grocery store on a chilly night, a light hearted eight year old slips her tiny, fragile hand into yours as she is skipping along. She looks up at you and says something about the moon or her brother or maybe she thanks you for some oddment that you bought her just a bit ago. But that feeling of that little hand slipping  into yours so completely relaxes you, reminds in a flash of all of the moments you have shared with her and suddenly you feel as if the world is filled with golden sunshine and you are light as a feather.

Papa and Evelyn are not sleepy but the boy and the Mama are, so we head off for a nap. I climb in bed and get our nest of blankets and pillows just so as he runs of to find just the right stuffed animal. He climbs in bed and doesn't object at all when I pull him in close enough to smell his sweet maple syrup scent, and feel the heat of his still chubby in places body, and in a tangle, the boy and I fall asleep and no one bothers us at all. For a good long while.

Evelyn decides she wants her dollhouse back down from the attic and the days of quiet afternoons of Ev and Mama and Peach the Rabbit are back. This time the story is more involved and we talk a bit more, things are changed but the same, and I cherish each and every moment, and I live for the times when she says, "Hey, Mama wanna play rabbits with me?" -oh, I try my best to drop everything and go back to her room and shut the world out and stop time if only for a little bit. I bet you didn't know that little three inch velveteen rabbits could stop time.

Getting a call from miles away, my nephew upset about little things and big things in life. He was calling, allegedly about the little things but really calling because he wanted to talk to his Aunt Michal about the big things, because he loves and trusts her. To have somehow earned the love and trust of that boy...to be on the list of people he would call over such important things is such an honor. My little puppy. My Mykonos.

Playing trains with Liam. Little hands moving trains along the tracks. Big giant four year old falling on the tracks and city Ev and I built- over and over and the three of us giggling and giggling at him. All of the kisses I would get as he came around to my side of town. Suddenly I realized that in a boy's room, its the wooden trains that can stop time.