Gift

Lately everyone in my family has been suffering from a bit of the winter blues. The kids are cooped up and tired of it. It's cold, snowy and icy outside and they long to run and roll around on the grass, play in their sandbox and tree house, and just be in the warmth of the sun. This winter has been long and gray and it's wearing on us all.

We have spent a lot of time inside doing art, crafting, and dancing as a result. These are the activities that never get old, always inspire good moods and stretch the afternoons out in a pleasant way. Recent projects have been for my youngest son's birthday which is next week. Paintings and cards have been made and the colors that keep coming up are muted and soft. It's as if the kids have forgotten the bright intense colors of summer, the colors of warmth.

I did this colorway as an homage to this time with them. While I'm as guilty as they are of complaining about the weather and yearning for the long, lazy, warm days of summer, I'm all too aware of how these days spent in such close quarters for so long are a gift. Before too long, the birds will be chirping, the warm breezes will be wafting in through the open windows and the kids will go outside again. The snuggles under the blankets will be few and far between, the kids won't be right next to me from the time they wake til they sleep again, and I'll miss it. I'll wish for the cold of winter that will bring them to my arms again. So for today, I celebrate this gift. And when I look at this colorway I'll think of them.