I love these people

Not today.  A healthier day.

All three little people have colds right now (again) -- runny noses and crusty eyes and sore throats.  They are weepy and clingy and cross.  But in some ways, that makes it easier. 

Easier to prioritize, anyway. 

What has to be done?  A few loads of laundry.  A few simple meals (yogurt with honey, peanut butter and jelly, a dinner that simmered all day in the crockpot).  And really, not much else.

Letting go of all the shoulds and oughts that often fill our days, we spent today sprawled on the living room floor.  We played with puzzles.  We read stories.  We colored.  (Kathleen draws people!  Recognizable people!  With eyes and a smiley mouth and a belly button!)  We sang.  We snuggled under blankets.  We pretended to be princesses and doctors and mothers and babies and chefs and horses and kittens.

We ran no errands.  I scrubbed no bathrooms.  I mopped no floors.  I changed no sheets.  I barely managed to straighten up after each meal.  I accomplished nothing of note.  Nothing, that is, but this:  I was with them.  And I remembered that even at their weepiest, whiniest, and most miserable, spending my day with them is a blessing.  And a joy.   I love these people.