I woke you up this morning with a tender, “Sweetheart? It’s time to get up for school.” Without skipping a beat you responded with your eyes still closed, “I’m not going to school today.” I cracked up laughing!

I feel so close to you right now – we sing together, dance together, laugh together and really talk together. Today’s conversation on the way to school was about different people’s “cultures” and what that means. We talk about how to love everyone and how we are called to respond to those who seem a bit harder to love at first – and you totally live that! (Not all the time, but you can tell it really matters to you that you try hard.)

We were talking yesterday about Native Americans, and the difference between “Indians” and Native Americans. You said, “They were mean, right Mama?” I responded sort of shocked and confused and said, “Why would you say that?” You didn’t have an answer, so I explained that we were the mean ones. That they were living here in the Americas, and we came over and took their homes from them – their land from them. That we hurt them in wars and pushed many of them out – unkindly and unfairly. You got tears in your eyes as you listened intently to every word. You responded shakily, “Mama, if I was in a war, I would never hurt anyone. And I would let them keep there own land.” “I know Baby.” And then I explained why it is so important to know our history and the mistakes we made so we can be really aware and conscious about not making them again. After a pause, you said “Mama, can you change the music. This song is making me sad.” I hugged you, changed the song, and we talked about something else.

Daddy Jim was gone for the past few days, and so you and I slept together. It was a very sweet time – you would fall asleep holding my arm and usually having your little feet on my thigh. We watched some of a movie on Sunday before we went for a hike, and you just laid right on top of me like I was your big pillow.

Then we went for our hike with Macy at Ellison and had a BALL! Climbing trees, getting stuck in mud, climbing the sand hill, falling down (I mean hiking down) the steep other side, grabbing on to small trees as we came screaming/sliding down the hill – laughing so hard the whole time!! It was cold and sunny and wonderful.

I love you Baby Girl!!