Stand Down

Pondering...Sometimes I have to let my kids hurt.  Knowing if, when, and how to help is one of the hardest parts about being a mother.  Harder still are the times when there is nothing I can do to ease the hurt.  I want to rush in, I want to make it better, I want to fix it.  But, sometimes I can't, and sometimes I feel I shouldn't.

Hearing...Caroline play Adelle songs on the piano.  Sophia read aloud above the noise.  "I am starting again in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1."  Bless her heart.

Tasting...Pomegranates.

Seeing...The Oaks light up with a blaze of color.  The leaves falling, and watching out the window above my kitchen sink.  Adalay with her headphones on listening to her class online.  She looks serious.

Touching...My nursing baby boy.  Warm sheets from the dryer.

Smelling...Yummy smell of the dishwasher. Caroline's perfume early in the morning.  She's dressed and ready for her day.

I am having a hard day, and I thought if I stopped to gather my senses it might help.  

I feel keyed up, ready for battle, ready to snap, ready to react.  

To relax after a state of readiness...stand down, Mandy.