A Lovely Day

Feeling the Crocus

Smelling the Snowdrops

Standing Among the Crocus

Running to the Beach

Happy at the Beach

Working in the Sand

Making a "Noodle Forest" out of old sea grasses

Ready for Mary Cassatt to Paint Her

That Big Old Moon

Baby with a Potato

We had a quiet St.Patrick's Day at our house. While Penelope napped in the afternoon, I stood in the kitchen washing potatoes with Baby on my back, and I had this overwhelming sense of normalness come over me. The whole day was like that, and it felt good. I had taken the girls to their Music Together class in the morning, and there was lots of dancing to Irish music and happiness. Then I took them to the playground and for a picnic lunch. I brought home two happy, but tired girls and put them down for a long nap. Violet has been teething and wasn't sleeping well, so I put her on my back and began to make dinner.

From where I stood at the sink, up to my elbows in potatoes, I could see the two pretty loafs of soda bread I'd made and the cupcakes cooling. Penelope has been asking when the next birthday party will be because she wants cupcakes. I thought, why do we have to have a special occasion for cupcakes, anyway? Couldn't I just make her some for no reason at all? And if there needs to be a reason I'll just color the frosting green and call them St. Patrick's cupcakes.

I felt so happy in my cozy little house, with the afternoon sun streaming in, children sleeping, Irish music playing softly. As I washed my potatoes I thought of how every woman in my family has probably stood in her kitchen, cleaning potatoes at some time or another. Many of them probably while their babies slept in the afternoon. There was just something so timeless and wonderful about the NORMAL I was living in. The whole day was really nice, but this particular moment, in the kitchen with the potatoes and sleeping baby on my back was special in a way I can't really describe.

We all went for an evening walk together, down to our little beach. Something we do all the time, but even this was magical and special. So many crocus were blooming and Penelope was overcome. "My whole world is full of flowers" she cried out, arms outstretched to illustrate just how big her world was, or how many flowers were filling it. As if they were all for her alone. And when we got to the beach everything was beautiful in the light from the setting sun. My children looked to me like children in paintings from long ago, and I wondered how many years have people been bringing their children to play at this beach in the beautiful evening light?

And oh, that moon! What a moon we have had this week. Even the same moon that has been shining on me my whole life was special. For whatever reason I have been relishing the normal, ordinary moments of life lately. And really, I guess that when everyone is healthy, when you have a safe and cozy place to call home, good food to put on your table, beautiful sunsets, amazing moon filled nights, and you are lucky enough to live with the people you love most, all those normal moments are really special, even extraordinary. There are endless bright blessing to be counted in a normal, ordinary day.