Beautiful Evening

We've had a pretty rough week.  And, one of these days I'll get up enough courage to share it with you, to find the right words to use to portray our heartbreak and the dark cloud that appeared over our family yesterday.  But, for now, I can't.  I don't even know what to say or where to start.  So, I'll leave it at that and fill you in another day - a day when just thinking about what to say won't make my eyes water and my hands clam up.  Good enough? 

Skipping ahead to today - can you believe this weather??  We enjoyed such a beautiful evening, an evening that makes even the darkest clouds fade away into the night and smiles light up the sky and make you stop and thank your lucky stars for the people in your life that bring you joy.

For Christmas our family gift was a fire pit.  And, tonight we used it for the first time.  We invited the neighbors, broke out the marshmallows, chocolate, and Graham Crackers and had a good old fashioned S'More makin' party.

It was just what we needed.

A pick-me-up.

A laugh out loud, mom gossip session, kids running and playing, dads talkin', and just an all around fun evening.

I needed to see these smiles.

I am so so so thankful for my husband - who seems to know just what to say and how to be the most amazing dad.  Friends who are listening to me and telling me that I'm doing the right thing.  Our family who loves my little guys so much and who would do anything to protect them.  The other adults in my kid's lives who love them and care for them and help us to make the hard parent decisions that jump out and trip us up along the way.  The people I work with who hear my Mom fears every day and who have been down these roads themselves, but yet they help to guide me in this Mom adventure - with all of its highs and lows.  I am thankful for my faith that helps me see the light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how far off it seems to be.

Right now I am mad and frustrated and have a huge Momma Bear heart, and I want nothing more than to protect my kids from every awful person out there, but I know that's not possible, so I can't let it bring us down.  Because of this, tonight I am most thankful for this beautiful evening and all of the love and laughter it brought back into my heart.  It inflated me with faith and hope and gave me a little peace of mind that everything will turn out fine in the end.

It's funny how a simple beautiful evening can do this.  How the sun shining, the windows open, and the ability to play outdoors can bring out a 'sunny' side that you weren't sure you'd see for a while.  Yep, this beautiful evening is just what I needed.