Through the years

I stood on the periphery, a lump settling deep in my throat, too great to be swallowed or exhaled away. I've felt it before it's a life-ache, a perfection living within a moment in time that fractures me, allowing every detail to bury itself within me.



They stood side by side at the sink, a princess towel beneath their pink-sock-clad feet to catch the inevitable sloshing of bubbles and water. They leaned into one another without thought, supporting and pushing against each other at once. The sunlight pouring through the window softened as it hit the bubbles, casting a golden hue on the girls' faces and sending lightning bolts through their damp, wispy ponytails.

I watched as Avery would stretch, standing on tiptoes trying to reach a precious toy floating away, her feet slipping from beneath her, never becoming frustrated. Briar would rub her arm across her face, extend her lower lip to blow the bangs from her eyes and then silently grab the toy and pass it to Avery. The light between them would dim, their bodies moving closer. One.

The instinctive care taking and unquestioned trust mirrored what I share with them as Mama, but in this moment, this window that I'll always have, I was not there, it was just two girls. Sisters. Loving and playing together. Mama softly weeping at the depth of her blessings.