#NewThisDay Writing From My Photo Stream

Up early enough to write a bit before walking then hosting Easter day for my extended family. It wasn't my plan to write, but from a dream I realized I had material for the next segment of the longish personal essay I've been working on for weeks, and I will bring this to my group tomorrow night.

It's cool, not cold, when we cross the yard to the river. So much of the prep done yesterday, I feel free to walk as far as I want and we linger in the meadow. 

It's a day of non-stop activity, and I'm happy, I'm grateful, everyone wants to come, everyone is loving and grateful, and I have enthusiasm, plenty of help, and energy – so much energy I am an energizer bunny. Even when a little bit of politics slips into the pre-party prep in the kitchen where my daughters and I are happily cooking: roasted vegetables, frosting bunny and carrot cookies and baking quiche. A loved one's political views enter the kitchen with him. One daughter does an excellent job of having a dialogue and challenging his point of view with questions and listening respectfully to his point of view. The other daughter doesn't engage at all, because her vegetables are consuming all her intelligent focus. I engage and afterwards, my daughter says she will give me an A+ for my arguments, but a B- for my tone. Okay, I can accept that I will work on my tone. Twenty-something daughters, pretty sharp cookies.

And for the very very favorite part of the day: the evening talk-over that follows hosting a lovely gathering. First, me and my older daughter, sinking into a long deep conversation on the couch, and then my younger daughter and husband joining us, so the four of us on the living room couch in the cleaned up house, intimately sharing our feelings and thoughts on all the emotional highs and lows and dynamics of the families we're connected to and love in our family tree. This is my happy Easter, indoors and out.

All photos and text ©Kelly DuMar