Mr. Helpful

Crap.


For a split second I thought I just shouldn't say I was indeed who Mr.Helpful thought I was. I mean, the guy didn't even know my name. Right? But how do you do that to a stranger who gets you coffee on a dreary winter's day. So, with every intention of holding a small conversation, I turned and unknowingly faced the one person who would end up saving me from one of the darkest most lonely times of my life. And when I faced Mr.Helpful, I knew exactly who he was. Actually, I knew about him and had briefly met him before, but so briefly I only remembered his name and that he seemed nice.

My first impression was right. Mr.Helpful was nice - so nice in fact that before I even knew what was happening, we were laughing over an odd small town story in the newspaper and hours had breezed by us. And before I really, really knew what was happening, Mr.Helpful and I had come to a point where we were just talking, but it was obvious neither of us wanted to leave. And then came the words I unknowingly didn't want to hear: "I've got to go." Which were followed closely by, "What are you doing today?".

Soundtrack for the Chaos

"Music speaks what cannot be expressed, soothes the mind and gives it rest, heals the heart and makes it whole, flows from heaven to the soul." ~unknown


Music is a constant variable in our home. I cannot imagine life without it. We rocked our babies to sleep to it, danced after we became one, smile when we hear the opening notes, and put it on to see pure happiness flow from our children. It is a life source on cold, bitter winter days. It makes us remember times that are filled with emotion - whether they be good or bad. So, today as I stood watching our first baby go to school to continue forging his path, and watched our second baby giggle over the sound of sand making fat plops in puddles, I closed my eyes and heard our soundtrack for the chaos.

I'd like to say that hardly a day goes by when I don't hear the soundtrack, but that wouldn't be true. There are days when we are so deep in the trenches that forget to see how full our cup is. Then magically it spills over and leaves a sheen that is hard to ignore. Trees become greener, the sun shines through the clouds and life is brighter. It is times like these that I treasure. Today is one of those beautiful days where I hear the soundtrack, and I thank God for putting all the notes in my life.