Refreshed and ready to start my day, I jumped out of bed, started some wash...then, coffee time~me time.
My routine is most likely not much different than others. Up and out of bed, I turn on the morning news, brew the Joe, check for missed texts and voice mail messages. Reply as needed. Facebook time follows: what's new and noteworthy? New photos, birthdays, personal highs..and, lows; inspirational quotes, event reminders...I really enjoy 'catching up'.
Today is a bit different for me though. The past three weeks have been a whirlwind of happiness for me. Reflecting back on my time spent with my nephew, Camden; vacation with my family at Rathbun; a weekend with my past...hosting my 'girl' cousins for our 'Cousins Weekend' and the finale~my 30 year class reunion. Wow! it's been fun, fun, fun!
Camden loves the farm. He especially loves building a fire and poking at it. We made sure that activity was part of the mix. He picked apples for me, went to a buyer's Welcome to the Neighborhood open house I hosted, helped move the cows and just relaxed on the farm. Five days of Camden...it was such a joy.
The part I liked best was making the time for him. Stopping what I was doing to talk and answer a question. Two afternoons found us at the pond. He fished while I read on the first afternoon. The second afternoon found us floating on the pond...it was refreshing and a 'bonding' experience. We talked about anything and everything. He made me giggle. He asks some pretty good questions...which made me think and ponder. Camden is a really great kid with an inquiring mind and a zest for adventure. He laughs easily and it's contagious. He's always been a giggler...even when he was a little guy. Kind of arnery in a subtle way. A teasing manner that sometimes makes you wonder if he's teasing or being serious. Much like his daddy in that.
My sister brought Camden to me at my office in Des Moines. We left and had showings to do. He was great! He got to see a little of what it is I do selling real estate. We were very late getting home, but Uncle Steve had a fire going for us at the pond. That is directly where we headed! Just Camden and I.
We looked at the stars. He made himself a 'smore. We listened to the sounds of summer...sounds of the countryside. Had he heard them before...most likely. Were they more intense? vivid? brighter? YES, because we were 'in the moment'. Crickets, grasshoppers, croaking frogs. Callie barked in the distance...what did she see, smell or hear? A falling star zipped through the sky. Flickering lights from an overhead plane. Big Dipper and Milky Way were overhead.
In the quiet of the night, with no interuptions, Camden and I shared a special moment in time, memories in the making to be remisced in the morning...at a different place and a different time. Hoping this time 'finds' Camden, when he has a niece or nephew of his own~he'll take the time, be in the moment and discover for himself, just how special this time was for me.
