When there is an opportunity, take it.

It’s not possible for anything to bring more joy into my day than seeing the faces of my own beautiful three now grown children reflected in the faces of my grandbabies.  Catching glimpses of who they were as babies themselves.  I am particularly thrilled when I see my daughter’s son show signs of his uncle, her brother, in his expressions. It makes me laugh, and it warms my heart.

Family resemblances are fun, and funny.  We lost a beautiful soul earlier this year when my husband’s brother passed away.  We also have a great nephew, another beautiful soul, deep down into his toes, that resembles this great-uncle of his so much it’s uncanny.  From the long skinny neck of a teenage boy, to the mannerisms, to the deep, deep brown of his big, doe like eyes, and the dark curls…oh, the curls.  Family.  It is truly something to be proud of, to be amazed by and to cherish.

If you are from a tight knit family, be grateful.  If you are from a family that has fractured, and there are so many, for so many different reasons, be a peacemaker, be a repair-man…like the guy who had the little shop out in the garage and can fix anything.  Be that guy if you can.

Last year, we had a couple great weekends on the ice and our kids missed it.  After posting pictures of a little hockey on this ice from an earlier weekend, our daughter said “That’s it.  We are coming up.  I will be skating.”  She piled her little family in the car and drove the two and a half hours as if on a mission.  While I am not sure she got as much skating in as she hoped, she did have two afternoons of times with her babies and a beautiful night skate with her husband on ice like black glass, after the babies were asleep. An opportunity that could not be missed. 

The lake this week has turned from smooth as glass and almost as clear, to dark and coated with snow, sleet and crusty ice.  We had two weekends of great skating, and we tried to take as much advantage of it as we could.  Husband skated, with his skates taped around his ankles because the leather is so broken down, and the laces are shreds.  But he skated.  He was out on the ice with two of his grandbabies and loving every second.

I am so very happy for my little home on the lake, where memories are made, a place to come home.