Eat Play Love

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After the girls are asleep, I typically like to decompress and zone out for a couple of hours before turning in for the night. Of course that means uninterrupted web surfing or watching a movie (from a service I will cancel at month's end, boo!). I have a ritual that I do every night before going to bed, it makes my day, every single day. As I gently walk down the hall on our creaky hardwood floors I make a stop in each of my girl's bedrooms to kiss them good night while there are sleeping. Of course I also adjust their blankets, turn down a fan, or pick up their lovies from the floor while I'm in there.

There's just something about those quiet moments, when they are asleep and beautifully lit by just a soft glow of the night light, that makes my heart swell.

I just can't help myself from taking a long luxurious moment to gaze over my girls. There doesn't seem to be a more perfect way to adore the little things that get lost in the action of daily life. My youn…

There's a busy intersection near my house where it's often common to find someone panhandling, holding up a sign with a brief message on a piece of cardboard looking for some spare change. Out of work, anything would help. Traveling through town, no car, no money, God Bless. Mother down on my luck, please help. I've become accustomed to seeing the same faces on particular days, often wondering if they have an agreement as to which days they can have the spot.

Today was the last day of my husband's vacation. We were headed off to the suburbs to catch a movie with the girls. We pulled into the gas station which sits just adjacent to the corner where someone always needs a little spare change. I noticed a petite woman, her skin tanned dark brown by this point of the summer, standing in the blazing hot afternoon sun. She's visibly pregnant and although I couldn't make out exactly what her sign said, it was apparent she's going through a rough time. It was hard …