Right now.

August 9, 2010 By Kelle

Last night, at the closing of a busy-but-good weekend full of celebrations and sun-soaking and a long Sunday chasing crabs and watching high tide gradually pull back on our pretty little Isle, I soaked the littlest in a tub of warm suds.

A relaxing appropriate end to the weekend. We rinsed off tiny grains of sand that snuck home with us, lathered buttermilk wash onto the feathery tuft on top of her head and watched as she continued to flip onto her tummy despite the many times I repositioned her on her back. Girl wants to go, go, go…swimming, splashing and slipping her way around the tub.

And after all that slipping and flipping, we slid her into soft jammies and she was soon fast asleep next to her sister whose tired tanned body was already breathing slow and peaceful in the big bed. My tired little girls. With perfect reason to be tired. It was a long, beautiful weekend.

With many celebrations. Beginning with our friend Ellie’s birthday…whose bright and sunshiney personality was met with sunny skies for her fabulous pool bash. Lainey loved tie-dying her own shirt and hanging with the big girls.

We party hopped (with a short stop home to change) from Ellie’s to the beach where we celebrated Cash & Rocco’s baptism. These boys grew in their mama in synch with my girl…and for that they will always be special. Many a times, their mama and I stood belly to belly so that our littles could hear each other’s hearts beating and baby love seeped from belly to belly. So much love. So it was…a bunch of grateful hearts stood barefoot next to the gulf this weekend hugging babies and thanking all things holy for the gift of life.

And for celebrating life? We go all out, baby. We dress all up. Because we don’t take celebrating life lightly.

Apparently, neither does God. He saved the good sky for us that night.

And we drank it in, running along the shore, dippin’ in the pool, making up for all those times we told ourselves we’re gonna hit the beach more often. It was good…very good.

And finally, the grand finale came yesterday when we ran, like a long lost friend, to the Isles of Capri. Oh, Friend, how we’ve missed you.

For all the times we’ve been here…for all the times we’ve pulled up and unpacked pails and shovels, beach blankets and bathing suits…set up camp in front of the tiki bar and watched as the tides change…it’s different every time. The skies are different, the creatures and life that emerge from their shelters on the beach for some photos…there’s always something new.

But it’s always, always beautiful.

Yesterday, Brett’s mama joined us along with his sister and her kids visiting from Chicago which, of course, made it far more fun for the boys. They were out of sight most of the day, kayaking, exploring, crab-hunting…

And although in a perfect world, our family would all live on the same street where cousins and brothers and sisters would run from one house to the next, we welcome them when they come and watch with grateful hearts as love abounds.

Yesterday, the bright skies melted from their usual squint-eyed brilliance to a calmer pastel and, while not gray or gloomy, their mild stillness provided the perfect balance for beach bliss.

And the mild conditions called the crabs out of their sandy burrows by the hundreds.

I love to watch the daddy’s face when he’s here. Because it’s always happy. He talks about this place like a fifth child.

I kinda like it too.

And finally…near sunset, the gray clouds came with cool rains that chased us inside the tiki hut where we huddled and danced to Rod’s guitar across the wood plank floors that house all our memories.

And now, as I sit here looking back at all these pictures and remembering the way the skies looked, the way my girl smiled as she clapped and danced at our favorite place, the way the sand and sun tamed the little one into a sleepy trance…

…the way we laughed and drenched ourselves in friends and littles and life’s celebrations…I am indeed certain that there is something to be said about the power of reflection. About taking a moment to think back whether through words or pictures or closing your eyes and smiling on the plane on the way home from a fabulous getaway. But there is something about the beauty of the past, whether it was yesterday or many yesterdays ago, that fuels us to drink more out of the future. And that’s why I do this. Make note of it…what you love right now…because what you love tomorrow will be even better because of it.

Loving right now.

…and looking forward to a million more right nows.

Some Enjoying-the-Small-Things to come this week…and a giveaway!

AND, thank you to everyone who voted us for Blog You’ve Learned From for the BlogHer ’10 BlogLuxe awards. What a wonderful honor to be a part of such an amazing group of women.

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