Summer Fun

It's a beautiful day here. I'm sitting in front of my open window enjoying the breeze coming through. Listening to my kids laugh and play in the Summer sun. They are playing with the neighbor kids. They're an unlikely quad but these four kids have been playing together for the last several years. Asher is blissfully napping...he actually asked to go to bed today!! I've been sort of spying on the kids all afternoon. Enjoying their giggles and easy banter. They're playing "woofie" ball and chasing each other around with the garden hose. I listened to a heated disagreement earlier about if dogs really can die from eating chocolate. I just sat and listened to them work it out on their own. Last week the kids played with our other neighbors down the hill. The ones our backyard connects with. They caught lightning bugs, rolled down the hill and ran under a ginormous parachute. Until late into the night. All the stuff Summer's made of. Memories in the making. Who knows if we'll get the luxury of great friends in our next neighborhood. Our neighborhood friends have taught us much over the years. How to compromise, how to share, how to pick our battles and that we don't always HAVE to agree with everything someone else does. My greatest wish is for our next neighborhood to be filled with many days just like this. Kids running, laughing and playing. Little girls sharing innocent secrets and little boys climbing trees. Giggles, laughter and squeals of delight. Will I get my greatest wish in our next home? I don't know. Norman Rockwell doesn't exist in very many places anymore. I can hope though. And I can certainly pray. I think I may have found a great neighborhood......