Somehow, I signed up to bring Strawberry Balsamic Bread to the last women’s Bible study shindig of the year. I found the recipe on Pinterest (where else), bought the ingredients before carefully reading the recipe (bad habit), and started making it at about 6:30 p.m. (even though it had to rise three times).
It was perhaps not the best decision I made today, but when I turned the ball of dough out onto the counter and started my five minutes of kneading, I knew it was not a mistake. After a hectic day of running into work for a few hours, finishing a book review on my lunch break, running soccer practice, and cajoling overtired kids into bed, the rhythmic fold…push…flip…fold…push…calmed my nerves and allowed my mind to drift as I gazed out the kitchen window. Fold…push…flip…fold…push…flip…reflection on a full weekend, on kids who are growing up too fast, on the neighbor’s lilac bush, on my subsiding headache.
And on my gift list for the week…
#435: Warm meals brought over all week…an unexpected blessing as I recovered from my (ridiculous) shingles
#436: Sitting on the front step with Parker under his umbrella while it drizzled…just to talk
#437: Being proud of Madi wanting to be different with her diorama…an Eucalyptus Forest for her Sugar Glider
#438: Tap dancing shows on the concrete basement floor
#439: Seeing the thrill on Parker’s face for his very first soccer game
#440: Visiting with old friends and slipping back into cozy conversation
#441: Looking around the table at my kids and realizing they can all have rational, semi-grown up conversations…at least until somebody “toots”
#442: Writing silly superhero stories with Parker
#443: Feeding off of Fiona’s pure joy and silliness…whether she is wearing five tutus, smashing WikiSticks together, writing her name, running around wildly with Parker or making creepy masks…
#444: Taking my last anti-viral pill and starting to feel like “myself” again
#445: Having friends who will play hooky with you
#446: Reading books on my iPhone…one stolen moment at a time. Most recently? The Expats
#447: Launching the new MCG homepage and having very little to do with it being a success…trust and delegation!
I might have to take up bread making, just for the kneading…
