Summer

 I'm having a hard time.  And even though I know there are "real" issues people are having a hard time with, it doesn't make mine go away.  This is something I struggle with a lot.  My head knows how lucky I am to have healthy daughters that CAN attend preschool and WANT to. I know that this is how life works.  The girls get older and go to school.  But, my heart just is sad about it.  And I hope it is okay to feel.  I hope it isn't disrespectful to those facing giants right now.  But, the fact of the matter, is that I will miss my girls.  Preschool is one week away and I can't believe Elise is big enough to go and that Amelia is a mere blink away from Kindergarten.  I get weepy.  It turns into ugly cry.  There are a ton of things I am worried about, fearful of, and I just plain ole don't like them being away from me. 

But when I look at these pictures, and think of the summer we have had full of love and hugs and enjoying the outdoors, I realize what makes these things so sweet.  It is the fact that we went through a fall, winter, and spring to get here.  And without those things, we might become bored.  Complacent.  Unimpressed.  The way things are designed are not by chance.  Summer is what it is because the rest of the year is what it is.  And so, as I cling to these last few days of popsicles and freedom, I smile.  Relax.  And enjoy.