The tomorrow path. {family session}

I think that paths are quirky, funny things. I remember back in college learning about Shintoism and tea houses in one of my art history classes, and I always thought it was so peculiar that the path to a traditional tea house was laden with obstacles, like hanging tree limbs or uneven ground. The reason? To keep you present. To keep you mindful of the path, because life isn’t always about just getting to where you think you should be.

Over the years, my “people” paths have kept crossing. I made a friend through a church playgroup a couple of years ago, and through the wonder of Facebook, she and I found that we had another friend in common, a woman with whom I worked at a Boulder high school several years ago. This mutual friend, Kara, and I had our youngest babies just two days apart. And even though our lives are wildly different from the somewhat carefree days of back then, and even though we’ve each moved to different parts of the metropolitan Denver area, we have gone down beautiful paths laden with obstacles to keep us present.

Kara’s has become exceptionally bright. They had a huge scare when their youngest was born in respiratory distress, spending many months in the hospital with her until they could bring her home, and they’ve come down a long road of a lot of unknown stuff. But I have to tell you, this is one of the most phenomenally happy, down-to-Earth, glee-filled families I’ve ever known. And without a shadow of a doubt, these two little girls are gonna shake up a whole lot of something in this world.

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Liv

Em

There’s a lot of singing and dancing in their house. A lot of, “The sun’ll come out tomorrow.”

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We were instructed to be still and quiet and attentive for their concert in the park.

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Then there was something gone awry about Ariel from The Little Mermaid and her coconut bra and I nearly fell over laughing.

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Seems as though Dad has quite a funny sense of humor with some of those “princess songs.”

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It must be hard being the only man in a house full of beautiful girls, but he seems to do ok there.

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How could he not?

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We couldn’t help but have a true family picture.

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It nearly scared that little one away…

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Nope. Not really.

Fam2

What an awesome morning.

Lots of paths out there, yes? You never know how they’ll keep you present, how they’ll teach you a new, deeper, more profound kind of love. But they will keep crossing, so that you’ll always have the people that you need right where they should be.

Close by.

Kara & Dan |  Met while working in college at a camp for kids with HIV/AIDS

Together |  10ish years

Girls |  L = 4; E = 2

Her |  High School PE/Health Teacher

Him |  Pediatric Doc specializing in allergies and immunology

Keeping it real |  Knowing all of the songs in Annie, The Musical, and being able to belt them out anywhere, anytime.

 

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