3/25/10

A Moment

I am trying to get something written. I'm down to the last minute and it needs to get done. So while the red potatoes are sizzling in the oil on the stove, I'm pecking away at the keyboard. Miles and Asher are cats and they are meowing and softly clawing at my ankles. They are kitties who need petting and cooing or the climbing up and nudging and poking and pulling will start. Ryan is calling from the living room asking, are both of us taking Asher to his appointment? and what's the plan for Miles? I answer half and fluster {meow meow} and so I tell him we have to talk about it later. Then I'm hopping up and over the kitties to not burn the potatoes. I stir and then I'm throwing things in a bag and hugging and kissing and giving directions and running out the door.

Later, I get home and the house is quiet. Hushed, even. I stand in the silence and try to just be instead of thinking of the next things. Then I hear a sleepy cough cough cough and my heart does that little jump that comes with mothering. I wonder if his humidifier is on. I go to see and it is, so I stay and I kiss him and turn him on his side. I hope that makes the coughing stop. I look at him long and love his skin and soft sounds. And in that moment, I feel better.

I come back to the quiet kitchen and load the dishwasher. I wipe the counters and the graham cracker crumbs pull their tricks, missing my cupped-and-ready-to-catch-them hand, falling to the floor for my feet to avoid the crunch of them. I reach for the stack of always piling papers. I flip through, in case I'm missing something, like bills or any other Very Important Information. And I find I had missed something from another day, something that Miles made at school...




I laugh and laugh and I wonder what his teacher thought. Oh Miles, I think. You are something else. That is the scariest dentist I have ever met. And in that moment, I feel even better.

I head to bed and it's late. Ryan is propped up on his pillow with crossword in hand. We talk about tired and I turn to sleep. He makes jokes that give me giggles and he won't stop asking me to help him fill in the blanks. What are augmenting drugs, ten letters? How about a cultural character, what would that be? I mumble I don't knows and with a laugh in his voice he says, I annoy you, don't I?

Only sometimes
, I say.

He laughs and asks for another answer to his crossword and I say, Sometimes is now. And we both laugh and the silly moment is good.


{This post is a part of Beth's You Capture at I Should Be Folding Laundry}

28 clicked right here to comment:

LisAway said...

Love it, Heather. Juggling, juggling. Kittens and crossword puzzles. Isn't life awesome?

Anonymous said...

This is beautiful, Heather. All of it.

Sabrina said...

I like those moments... all of them. :)
You guys are cute!

*Lissa* said...

This totally just made me cry. You nailed it. Beautiful.

Angie said...

You've done it again: painted a masterpiece with your words.

Yes, the silly is good, and oh so necessary. It's all part of those puzzle pieces we juggle in our family portraits. I think what makes it so beautiful is the family part... the portrait you paint together. :) Love this post!

I still pray for you every day.

Amy said...

Great post Heather. I love the dentist picture!

Mendie said...

you are so good with words.

love the drawing by the way...so true!

christy rose said...

What a sweet post! I love the simple silly parts of life. They make it all worth it. :)

The Drama Mama said...

These kinds of moments are the best. Thanks for sharing yours!

Amy said...

Two words: Extraordinary Ordinary. This is what life is all about. Thanks for sharing those little gifts.

Unknown said...

And that is EXACTLY why I avoid the dentist at all costs.

Miles has it so RIGHT!!!

:-)

I love your moments Heather. And I love your Very Important Information line.

HA HA!

That is exactly how I feel with the stack of papers that is always following me around....

xo
Lee

P.S.
You were #89 and I was #90!!! How could that be??? :-)

Anonymous said...

I don't have time to read the entire post and comment, but I wanted to tell you I subscribed to your feed and look forward to keeping up with you in the future.

Take care,

Marty

Jen said...

I love how you've shared your moments! And that picture... He must be so creative!

Sarah said...

"We talk about tired..."

I love this. I love all the little days. I can picture you and your day and your moments.

You captured it.

Melissa_Rae said...

"Sometimes is now."

Totally something I would say to my husband. Loved this post. You captured all of those mommy moments so perfectly. Remind me not to go to your dentist. :)

Unknown said...

This was perfectly lovely. My husband and I had almost the exact same conversation last night.

Bec said...

That's definitely one to save to display at his graduation party :)

http://www.theiheartblog.com

One Crafty Mother said...

Oh, my dentist totally looks like that. You have an artist on your hands. :)

This is a beautiful post. I've been struggling with the little daily miracles lately. This brought me back to earth. Thank you!

-Ellie

ZDub said...

I wish you were my neighbor.

Rebecca Blevins said...

I love how you take everyday life and turn it into literary beauty.

Anonymous said...

The more I see into the window of your life, the more I like you better, Heather. =]

koreen (aka: winn) said...

You have an amazing way of talking about your day and the moments. Beautifully written... very touching. =)

kirsten said...

bless you. my graham cracker crumbs are the same sort of mischievous.

Teresa @ Grammy Girlfriend said...

What a great post...so glad that I stopped by

Billy Coffey said...

Sometimes I think our lives are best measured by our big numbers of small moments.

You have a big life. That's why you're awesome.

Becky said...

Loved this so! Especially the end. Such a great glimpse into your life. Thank you for sharing.

Mommypotamus said...

I love this. The humor you two share is heartwarming.

I end up putting two year old Katie in a chair beside the sink so she can "wash dishes" while I cook. She'll scrub that one pot for 10 minutes.

I know the feeling of tumbling over things to get to the stove, too. We're looking for another house so I can have a kitchen that wasn't built for pygmies.

Christie said...

I love the capture! That dentist sure does look scary. That's what I see every time I go!

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