Dogwoods

The dogwoods are blooming along 405.  Their tissue-white blossoms sit heavily on the branches, weaving shyly into openings in the canopy.  They remind me of my grandparents' home on The Hill.  When we lived on the eastside, I looked forward to this part of spring, because the dogwoods gave me comfort, filling me with nostalgia.  

We don't have as many dogwoods along I-5, and my route doesn't usually take me down this stretch of freeway any more.  But last week I made the trek daily, sometimes twice in a day, to and from the hospital.  The dogwoods helped to settle my mind each day as I drove to visit my husband after his cancer surgery.  I searched for them along the freeway as I sped down the road, my weary mind spinning with fears.  I wondered "What next?" and "What if?" and tried to breathe.  The white blossoms shone against the dark evergreens and gave me a solid point to center on.  

I have seen the trees change in the past week.  The bright new spring green has morphed into the summery foliage as leaves have grown from tender buds.  The airiness of early boughs is gone, replaced by more substantial structures.  Soon the dogwood flowers will turn brown and fall off, and I will have to wait until next spring to see them again.  I will miss them.  

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving - Day Twenty-eight

I love to see my guys having guy time together.  Today, Aaron took Gabriel along for choir practice, and when it turned out it was canceled, they had a morning of exploring parts of the city.  They saw the troll under the Fremont Bridge, touched the vintage equipment at Gasworks Park, and had lunch out.  They got to talk about their favorite things together.  Gabriel loves spending time with his Daddy, and I am grateful that Aaron will take the time to bond and create memories with our little guy.

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving - Day Two

At the top of my list of things to be grateful for is my husband.  It was not love at first sight for either of us when we met (though he did think I was cute), but over time we realized we were the right people for each other.  Early in our dating relationship, he took me down to meet his mom and his youngest brother and sister.  I knew from that day that he was the man I wanted to marry.  I saw how he treated his mom, how much he adored her.  I saw how gentle and amazing she was, and how the kids were, and I knew I could trust him with my heart.  

Those first impressions were right.  I ended up with a husband who supports me as I try to find myself, who serves me and our children and other people.  He has stood by my side, non-judgmentally, through the deepest lows I have experienced.  He provides for our family so I can stay home with our children.  He does not retaliate when I wrong him, but is always the first to apologize, even when he has done nothing wrong.  He shares adventures with me, yet allows me to have my own interests as well.  Besides all that, he is cute. 

I am so thankful I get to have him by my side as I navigate through this life.  I am grateful for our little family, and for the loving home we have built together.  I look forward to growing even more in our relationship, and I pray we will both be around together for a really long time.