Ever have one of those nights that you just want to last forever? It’s just so perfect, but for no particular reason? It just feels like everything about it is “right?”

Let me describe that night… see if you can imagine it… or feel it….

I am mowing the lawn on my Dad’s hand-me-down Craftsman tractor, it’s getting late, the kids are taking baths with Dad. I’m listening to the iPod – a playlist that Shad and I made for one of our car trips with the kids. It has everything on it from BoneyM, to Justin, to HSM, to Third Day to U2 to Simple Plan. All music that I love… About 30 minutes later the kids come outside in their pj’s with wet hair. The sun has pretty much set and it’s twilight. I can see the lawn enough to keep going but it’s getting damp so the tractor is getting a little less cooperative. Reilly pulls out his bike and rides up and down the driveway as I do my laps and Kate just watches me from the farmers porch and waves to me each time I drive by. (Shea is in bed and Shad is inside) Soon Reilly gets off his bike and starts building things with rocks and sticks in the little wooded area by the driveway. I see what is becoming his silhouette (with a bike helmet on) and it makes me smile. Kate asks if she can ride with me. I don’t typically do this because it’s not a big tractor and it’s probably not that great of an idea. But everything is feeling so right it seems like the right thing to do. She sits on my legs and puts one of the earphones in her ear – we sing duets from HSM (I take her lead… of course) and we drive to continue my perfectly symmetrical pattern around the house. I let her steer in the backyard b/c now that I’ve mowed the whole section I just continue the lap b/c it keeps my direction and pattern the way I want it. We could have driven around like this forever… singing… steering…. the smell of shampoo in her damp hair that was resting on my shoulder and seeing Reilly, happy as can be building, about every minute or so. It was all just “so right”… I simply loved it.

Unfortunately, it had to end, it was getting dark and the lawn was actually finished… we still drove for an extra lap or two.

I am a very lucky mother… wife… woman. With all that seems to be going on at work these days, it’s so nice to feel complete peace. It’s often so easy to forget that harmony can be right in front of you – if you open your eyes.

Reminders are a wonderful thing. I have it all.