ANOTHER BIRTHDAY

So March holds the day of my birth, too. It was lovely to be with family and friends during my birthday week, and a true joy to spend an ENTIRE day with Mark -- what a novelty that has become!

While I don't feel any older than a few weeks ago, this year -- for the first time in a long time -- I feel older than the previous year. Maybe it's because I used to go out and run 4 miles no problem. Now I'm thrilled with myself for getting out and running at all. Maybe it's the fragility of life and the ever-present reminders of how precious it is. I am reminded even more regularly now that life is not to be taken for granted. Maybe it's the emotional piece of motherhood. . . that lump in my throat really does make itself known more easily, and I'm so much more sensitive in many ways. There are moments when time seems to move in a calculated and predictable way, measured by ritual, plans, quarters. There are other moments when time doesn't even exist and the only life I'm aware of is what is right in front of me right now. And I am often thrilled by the sight I see right in front of me -- usually involving two amazing girls!