Sunday Morning walk in the woods

I woke to little voices talking to each other.  Cora didn't wake me this morning, she just came into our room to read and talk to Judah, who was awake in his little bed beside me.  This morning I wasn't greeted with 'It's Suntime, Mama!'  And I missed it, a little.

So we drove, just my girl and I, almost running out of gas and praying to Jesus to get us to the gas station...car dying just as I coasted up to the pump.  Through the curving roads of morning green and hills and rocky cliffs to the hidden park...not the playing kind, but the walking kind, I tell my little, who is confused by no jungle gym in sight.  With a sweet friend and her small girl, we walked.  My old dog Freckles exploring the trail ahead of us and taking it all in.  We didn't get very far down the path.  The sparkling light of the morning sun on the creek called to us and we headed down the bank.  Crawdads and minnows and snails and leaves and an odd rock with a hole through it, like a seeing stone to view the wood fairies.  Cora was all in.  Splashing turned to wading and eventually sitting...occasionally slipping, but mostly on purpose, in spite of sneakers and all her clothes on.  I'm glad for the warm(ish) sun on our shoulders...stacking rocks, slipping, splashing, and squealing and snippets of good conversation with an old friend...mixed in with rescuing my little from deeper pools and pointing out the crawdads.  Relishing the sweetness of her baby girl with wild curls on her beautiful head...who watched me with wide eyes as I sang-called the dog back to us.

Back to the trailhead, strip the wet clothes off...lucky I had a random towel in the car!  Dry in the sun and eat some grapes.  Help the old dog, whose legs are failing her and the half dressed girl (I only had dry shorts and undies for her to put on) back in the car and drive through the green again.  The winding beauty of the country roads and small crossroad towns.  Home again, home again.  Laughing with my girl.  My brave little "Shield Maiden of Rohan" who never met an outdoor adventure she didn't love.  My little girl, soaked and loving it.  She is All In.  And so am I.