Coming home

We have been here a little over a month now and are starting to feel just a bit more comfortable in our new city, our new home. Finding some nooks that we've been cherishing (ah, the beach just blocks from our house!), meeting many kind people, wondering which of those meetings will lead to deeper relationships. After weeks of Dada traveling back and forth from Michigan and grandparents flying in to help us unpack those many boxes (thank you, we couldn't have done it without your help), we are united and finally, thankfully, settling into our more normal routine. 

I am reminded just how much I cherish that routine; the everyday rhythms that carry us through our days. In a place where so much is new, I take such comfort in the simple, routine occurrences that bring a sense of familiarity. My favorite omelet in the morning, our daily adventure, the stories before naptime (some favorites we may read several times a day), the words and silliness we trade back and forth, the excitement over dada's return at the end of the work day, sitting down together as a family for dinner, then some quiet mama time after all have gone to bed. And I note how the routines get subtly tweaked over time as seasons change, as Ava grows, as our needs evolve. Stable yet ever changing, our rhythm carries us along and cradles us through the uncertainties in every day. 

Even as we start to find our way here, news from the east pulls at me - making me long deeply to be there to share in the excitements and give hugs when loved ones face challenge and uncertainty. As I meet new people that I am just beginning to learn about I am reminded of how much I value those I have known and loved for many years.  

Now with the breeze carrying hints of a cooler season ahead we are soaking in as much of the sunshine and warmth that the final days of summer have to offer. The fall festivals are nearly upon us, and I am grasping these days of utter sunshine and temperatures in the 80s knowing that soon our sun-kissed limbs will be bundled beneath many layers and our rhythms will slow their pace as we curl together during the darker months. I do think we may be able to squeeze in one final day at the beach before we declare summer over.