The Tree Swing

I've been feeling a little off lately. Sometimes life doesn't go according to plan and instead you trip over a toy in the floor and break the two smallest toes on one foot, forcing you to stay off of it for several days. Then maybe you get a one inch long gash on the top of your head from an open medicine cabinet door and have to cover it up with your bangs so as not to gross everyone out or draw unwanted attention to yourself. And yes, I am very accident prone. Its amazing that I haven't broken anything else on my body yet. Add to that a sick daughter and everything that comes with that (high fever, melt downs, clinginess and feeling miserable), and well...it's easy to feel a little off.

Yesterday Avery started feeling better again, and since it was so nice outside we went out to the backyard after dinner. I mean seriously--who could ask for better weather at the end of July in Missouri??? I found a toddler swing for Avery a few weeks ago and Josh installed it on a tree branch that I knew would be the perfect spot for a swing. After playing in the yard awhile, Avery wanted to swing so I put her in. She was content to swing for a good long time and I was happy to keep pushing her. Something about the repetitive motion of the swing swaying back and forth, the perfect temperature outside, the creak of the gate as Josh went to water the garden...it was soothing. We listened to the birds chirping and the dogs barking and the leaves swishing in the wind. I looked up through the tree branches with all their green leaves and could see the blue sky. I knew that would be a perfect spot for a swing. What I didn't know is how much good it would do for me, too. Thanks God, for answering my prayer for a swing for Avery...and for me.