Creating Monuments

over·come \ˌō-vər-ˈkəm\

transitive verb: to get the better of : surmount

Antonyms: lose (to)

 

Some memories happen, the earth and the heavens align and we find ourselves in the middle of a moment to cherish forever.  Rainbows and choirs singing.  Cleaning a toilet may not be where your mind naturally goes at this point, but there I was, cleaning one and realizing, I made it.  Ten and a half weeks later, I'm standing on my own two feet again, no crutch/boot chaperon required.  My floors are clean.  My gait is slow but steady.  I'm balancing a baby on my hip while making dinner.  It is so good to be back.

Freedom is rushing back into my wings all at once.  Tuesday was my first drive in two and a half months.  The kids and I went for an overnight trip to the Homestead (a.k.a. my parents' place) for doctors' appointments the next day.  I ten-and-twoed the wheel, checked my mirrors responsibly...it didn't last long.  My hands slipped back to their usual 9-and-stereo-button or 7-and-dig-for-paci-in-the-backseat.  But ladies and gents, I'm on the road again.  

This milestone merited some created magic - the other kind in our treasure box of memories. The kind we don't wait to happen to us, but instead orchestrate the moments, stringing them up like twinkle lights in the photographs of our minds. I texted my fam. A few hours later, we were knee deep in strawberry fields (waist deep if you're Silas).

Photo by Kenna.

Photo by Kenna.

We were rushed, the farm was closing.  But, in magic's true form, time slowed down and we enjoyed. 

Photo by Kenna.

Photo by Kenna.

Photo by Kenna.

Photo by Kenna.

We extended the memory making to my favorite local cafe, where the lattes are scrumptious, the yellow curried chicken salad is divine, and the blue ring pops transform your sweet little girl into a blue lip/teeth/tongue zombie.

Hey!  It's Kenna!

Photo by Kenna.

Photo by Kenna.

Life ebbs and flows.  Not all memories are sprinkled with fairy dusted magic or sunsets in strawberry fields.  Some are dark and bitter.  But when the tide changes and your resolve strengthens, you grab your oar and refuse to go quietly into the night.  You hold onto hope and rise, slow and steady.  You surmount.  You overcome.  And when you do, you lay down monuments of memory to mark the places you've been. 

You remember the hard stuff, but you remember the magic most.



Photo by Kenna.





Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms.

Psalm 68.19