There’s a lot to be stressed, worried, and frustrated about this year. But there’s also a lot of wonderful things happening as well. Some of them are on smaller levels, and not as often spoken about, but important, nonetheless. So the topic of “savor” is perfectly fitting for this season.
Finding Inspiration
When I first started reflecting on this word, a lot of things came to mind. Thanksgiving is coming up soon, so there’s people, food, and celebration, and honestly, there’s a lot of love and happiness around me in general. But what really stuck to me in the end, and repeatedly through this whole pandemic, is the simple everyday joys with my family. Specifically things that belong just to us. Things like our yearly fall leaf play.
We moved back to Kansas, my home state, a little over two years ago. My husband and I had moved to Texas a few weeks before my first was born. Travel back and forth was frequent, but due to timing, schedules, kids ages, and Texas “seasons,” the boys never really got to experience playing in piles of leaves. We changed that the first year back.
We have two trees in the front yard and one in the back. The two in the front just barely belong to our neighbors on each side, and not us, but a very large chunk of their leaves land in our yard. My husband and I went to rake them up, and the boys instinctively knew what to do. So I grabbed my camera and captured the fun and joy.
Last year my oldest knew to expect it and would ask for months leading up to Fall when we could play in the leaves again. As soon as it happened we were out making piles, laughing, tossing, fighting, and capturing more memories with my camera.
Officially a Tradition
This year was no different. The “great fall” hit and the backyard was covered. I grabbed a rake and headed outside, knowing that the boys would soon follow. Sure enough, they headed my way. They were thrilled when I started raking up the leaves into a great big pile. I even had to get them their own rakes so that they could help. My oldest attempted to coax more leaves off of the tree. Somehow the giant pile that they could easily disappear in, was not enough leaves.
They ran, they jumped, they played. There was laughter, tears, and maybe some stern looks.
Then we upped the fun factor.
Daddy had gotten a leaf vacuum over the Winter and it was begging to be opened. We spend it up, assembled it easy, and started charging the battery. In the mean time the boys took turns playing with the leaf blower. Leaves were flying everywhere. Once charged up, we tested out the vacuum. My youngest thoroughly enjoyed “feeding” the vacuum, and my oldest enjoyed helping me dump the mulched leaves into our composter.
We finished up a few batteries worth of fun, and headed in for dinner. The next afternoon we were back at it with fresh batteries, and the vacuum was switched from vacuum mode, to blower mode. Each boy had his own, so less time was spent figuring out whose turn it was, and more time was spent sending leaves into the sky and watching them fall.
Capturing Memories
I grabbed my “big girl camera” and snapped away. Talking to them and laughing. Gently steering away leafy attacks. Do any other moms avoid laying down anywhere for fear their kids will instantly dog pile on them? Taking photos laying on the ground can be a dangerous business, but the angle makes for great shots!
More batteries dead, and time again for dinner. But the joy from our small family tradition carried us each to bed with a smile. The flashes of memories, made more clear through my images, only increase the joy for me, and my family as well. Something to look back on and savor the small moments together.
This post is part of a blog hop with Exhale—an online community of women pursuing creativity alongside motherhood, led by the writing team behind Coffee + Crumbs. Click here to view the next post in this series “Savor”.
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