Perfection

My sister is sick. We've added words like pleurisy and pulmonary hypertension to our vocabularies. They fill the spaces left open after her double-lung transplant nearly ten years ago. For the past 10 days (and for who knows how many to come), her home has been hospital room.

But now, as then, we choose not to dwell on the mysteries wracking my sister's frail body and instead laugh from deep within our bellies -- savoring every moment and treasuring the beauty of now.

This day is a sacred treasure

that we cup in gentle palms,

eyes and hearts and hands aware

of its fleeting and fragile glory.

And so we spent a day this week in the entrance area of the hospital as her floor doesn't allow children under the age of 5. What could've been frustrating and stressful became an adventure instead, complete with some fool-making and attention-stealing.


We sat in a hot, crowded cafe with strangers flanking us and made merry. You know it's a good time when strangers laugh at your antics and your kid masters a technique you didn't know he cared about it.

With full bellies, we played and joked and left the worries to those who gawked or smiled as they passed.

And when it was time to head back to real life, we found another reason to smile: The next generation, walking together into the future.

Yes, each day is a gift, a treasure entrusted to us. On this day, we used it perfectly.

(And to top it off, I am today's guest blogger at Our Mommyhood! So much !!! and feely-good that the bad stuff doesn't stand a chance.)

***This post is part of !!!/!!!, Six Word Fridays, and Feel Good Fridays***