Pumpkins

We almost couldn't take this on.

The fridge is empty (again), the laundry piled (again), the to-do list full-grown (as always) and packing up and shipping out for the afternoon just seemed a tad overwhelming (mostly to me).

 

There may have been a few (more than a few) tense (more than tense) words about whether or not we needed the stroller. 

There may have been a couple (more than a couple) door slams along the way. 

And, yet, we made it out that slammed door 

out of the city

into

the pumpkin patch.

Who knew heavy orange fruits could be good for the soul (and for the marriage).

My mom told me once that so many people tell you that children can't save a marriage.

Ten years together, seven years married and three (and a belly) munchkins in and counting,

I agree.

However, she would continue,

sometimes they're just what you need to get you through, reminding you what the two of you

as one

 have created,

sustained

together.

Our busy life, I know, is only going to continue to get busier. 

Between business commitments 

and domestic have-tos 

and grown-up task lists 

and the daily disciplines  of parenting, 

it's already a rare thing to just go, just us.

Granted, it was just a twenty minute drive.

And maybe just a couple hours gone.

But it was just us

our family

our little

growing

family

together.

And it was needed.

The dust, the wind, the sliding, the running, the exploring.

The breathing.

And, true confessions, in true city-slicker form, 

we stopped by the grocery store on the way home to actually purchase the pumpkin of choice.

Save a few dollars, you know. 

But that's not the point.

The point is this:
life is too short for all the tense words and door slamming.
It's the moments like this

that matter.