Fall

Iain's Godparents made a me a generous offer. This is nothing new for them; they've been going above and beyond since Dalton and I first asked them back in December. We often joke that they didn't know what they were getting into, but they did. And they really show it in both their friendship to me and their love for Iain.

Anyway, back to the offer. They would keep Iain overnight so that I could get some much needed rest. I could take a sleeping pill, go to bed early and wake up when my body said it was time to get up instead of when Iain decided he wanted out of his crib. I said "YES!" and settled down for a good night's sleep.

Interestingly enough, although I appreciated the sleep, what I really treasured was the morning. First of all, I woke up on my own (after the sun was already up) because my body was finally well rested. I wasn't sore, cranky, or desperately trying to think of a way to keep Iain quiet so that I could grab just ten more minutes of snooze. I slowly made my way out of bed, grabbed a lightweight robe and wandered into the kitchen. I casually poured myself a cup of coffee, turned on The Shins, switched the stereo to "Outside Speaker", picked up the book I intended to read while Dalton was recovering from surgery and stepped outside.

It was Fall. The sun was shining. The air was crisp. A light breeze was blowing. And the shadows were longer. Dalton always said that there was one day when your body became aware of the fact that Fall had arrived. Today was that day. And I was lucky enough to sit outside, sipping my coffee, and enjoying a really well written book. I wasn't rushed or melancholy or preoccupied with whether Iain was eating his yogurt or wearing it. It was the nicest morning I've had since just before Dalton went into surgery.

And eventually, I felt like going to pick up Iain. And I put the top down on the convertible, turned up the radio and smiled.

Fall.