To Everything There Is A Season

Sipping on some hot chocolate while looking through some images from Thanksgiving and thinking about my mom.  This was our first holiday without her here.  Dad raked a huge leaf pile for the kids that stirred within Dylan a desire to chant, “Go, Grandpa! Go, Grandpa!”  Looking through the photos makes me happy inside.  I see the beauty that is there even in the sadness.  And I know Mom would love seeing these photos of the kids playing too because she always emailed or called to talk to me about the pictures on the blog.  In a way, when I look through them, I feel close to her.  I am reminded of a saying my sister shared, “My mind still talks to you.  My heart still looks for you.  My soul knows you are at peace.”  There is joy.  This year I am thankful for a leaf pile.