Summer Flashback

This week was gorgeous for Indiana summer weather. Low humidity, sunny afternoons, and cool evening temperatures. Summer served up just the way I like it.

I spend a lot of time on our porches, my favorite place in my house. One night while writing on the back porch, I could hear our neighbors. Their six-month baby and two-year old were outside enjoying the unusual summer weather too. And then I heard it.

A sound.

A giggle.

A squeal of delight.

A summer flashback...to a time almost 25 years ago. I didn't realize how much I missed it. I didn't realize I would have missed it if it hadn't been for the summer weather and being called outside to write.

I’m joining an open community of writers over at Sharing Our Stories: Magic in a Blog. If you write (or want to write) just for the magic of it, consider this your invitation to join us. #sosmagic

The BIG Dance #SOSMagic

I recently came across a poem from the blog Tales of the Old Forest Faeries. If you like magic, fairies, imagination, and poetry, then you might want to check it out. The writing and illustrations are stunning.

I noticed after reading the poem several times that it wasn't so much about dancing, but it was really a metaphor for life - the times when we dance like we have never danced before - the BIG moments!

 
“She Danced.”

And, that very night
She danced,
Like
She had never danced before
Like she knew
She would never
Dance
Like that, again.

Poem written by Athey Thompson

I began thinking about the times "I danced" in my life.  (This is truly metaphorical thinking because I don't dance!) 

My thinking turned back to my parents' divorce and the effects it had on me. I was 20 at the time, and I knew what was going on. At that age, you understand betrayal. You understand the hurt caused by actions. You understand what it means to be part of a "broken family."

When I was 22, I began dating Dave, my husband. I was friends with his sister, but I really didn't remember him growing up. He was four years older than me, so we were never in the same school. When I was in junior high, he was in high school, when I was high school, he was away at college. Our paths only really crossed when he would answer the phone and not his sister my message.

When he entered my life, I knew it was not a coincidence. God knew what I needed before I even did. God handed me a family when my own family was struggling to put the pieces back together. I am forever grateful for His gift.

Next month I will celebrate my 31st anniversary. Thirty-one years ago...I danced like I had never danced before.

And I'm still dancing.

I’m joining an open community of writers over at Sharing Our Stories: Magic in a Blog. If you write (or want to write) just for the magic of it, consider this your invitation to join us. #sosmagic