From the sandbox

Owen, Carmel and I took a walk today and ended our trip at the sandbox. Two large spruce trees hang like a canopy over our little hub of summer fun. Standing there today and looking up, I could feel that hot summer sun beating down on us. I could see Owens bare feet with sand squishing between his toes as he fills bucket after bucket with sand using his favorite red shovel.

I watched the pine cones move back and forth with the wind under a brilliant blue sky thinking that any moment one would drop off right next to us, just like they did all summer long. I'd imagine them heating up in that summer sun, and as the intensity of the sun grew, the courage of those little pine cones was growing too. And finally, they would let go of their branches they had been clinging to so tightly, and gracefully take their flight down to the bed below so they could join us in all of our sandbox games.

Bringing me back to the present moment, was Owen. He had found his big red shovel under the snow and was using it to beat the ice away from his precious sandy wonderland. I imagine he too was thinking of all our summer games. What a wonderful place to be right now, imagining all the fun we've had in the shade of those branches. And still, much more fun to be had as these winter days grow longer and longer. Closer and closer to our summer fun.