On a morning in October

This morning after we finished our morning routine I headed upstairs to get myself ready for the day. When I returned I found Leta folded up in an armchair with a book, and Marlo curled up next to Coco inside Coco’s dog bed. The room was dark, too dark for a photo, and it was one of those moments that I just wanted to take in with as much presence as possible.

That little snapshot, our mornings together before school each day. Mornings used to be my least favorite part of the day because of the absolute chaos, but we’ve got a rhythm going now and I’m much more capable of cherishing that time with them, these girls who will one day grow up and leave. That one over there reading her book, this one over here tucked tightly around her favorite animal.

I never thought my life would look like this when I was growing up, never thought I’d be doing it completely alone. But right now I could not be more grateful for the lush landscape that it is.