The door creaked as it swung opened then slammed. Timothy strode in from playing baseball in the backyard with Thomas and Dad. “I getting a Gatorade surprise,” he announced. His mom, who had been working on their dinner, wiped her hands, opened the garage door and followed two year old Timothy to the outside refrigerator. …
Anticipating
Is Titus here yet? It’s a well timed question. My fifth grandchild is due in eleven days. Messages and comments from family and friends confirm that my husband and I are not the only ones anticipating his arrival. Many people are excited for my daughter and her husband, ready and waiting to welcome Titus. Thomas …
Reflected
Not long before Caroline’s college graduation, her first grade teacher confided that she would hold onto Caroline’s crayons during their weekly tests. Once Caroline had answered all of the written questions, she gave the crayons back and six year old Caroline colored steadily until the rest of the class was finished. Even at such a …
Unlimited Refills
Timothy needs lots of squeezes right now. His new baby brother, Titus will be arriving soon and he has been especially clingy with his mom of late. Her lap, once his favorite spot, is now completely occupied by her pregnant belly and watching him, I realized that try as he might, he could no longer …
Rightful Claim
We purchased five acres of land once only to find out at closing that it had no actual road frontage. It was not landlocked. It simply did not touch the road. The deed was recorded before the existing roadway was paved and the winding drive now passed by our property a dozen or so feet …
Focus
Amelia stood at the end of the kitchen island, sticker sheet in hand, matching uppercase letters to the alphabet page in her notebook. Ezra climbed up beside her and reached for a sticker so I pulled out his notebook, flipped to the first blank page and handed him a sheet of animal stickers. He eagerly …
Built For Me
Amelia has already staked her claim on a bedroom in her new house. We watched as the foundation was poured and the walls went up. The doors and windows stand ready in the garage, waiting to be installed. Giant metallic limbs spiral down from the attic like an overgrown octopus held back by a net …
Facing The Truth
“Can they hear me?” Amelia asked as she turned questioningly from watching the last roof truss being placed on top of her new house. We had watched the crane set a dozen or so trusses in place from the window before going onto the front porch. She and Ezra ran back and forth excitedly on …
Who Is Your Yes?
“Daddy’s not here,” I told Jake on my way from the kitchen to the laundry room for the third time in half an hour. His head pops up anytime I walk near the garage door between eleven and two. His internal clock keeps trying to push dinner earlier and earlier. “You can wait until at …
Level
“There’s something wrong with your level, Papa,” my nephew, Caden said after applying it repeatedly to the surface of one board after another of the foundation of my niece, Ava’s tiny home. My dad, who is overseeing the ongoing construction project, learned contracting mostly from his dad but also from his father in law, my …
