Dawning

As I stood in my bedroom this morning, deciding what to wear, I saw what looked like a hole in the mountain outside my window. Granted, I didn't have my contacts in, so I grabbed my glasses from the nightstand, almost knocking over the half-drunk glass of water of some little person who was still sleeping soundly sprawled out on my bed. Putting on my glasses revealed not a hole, but a golden orb just about to burst from behind the mountain and bring that elusive sunlight to the German sky. The fog and the wispy clouds made the scene so awe inspiring that I called to the kids to bring my camera quickly, for I could see that I didn't have but a minute or so before this beautiful vision would be gone. With camera in hand, I opened the door onto the balcony, breathed in the cold morning air, and snapped off a few pictures.

I have been thinking about this blog. Pretty neglected most days, and there is so much about each day that I do not want to forget, yet those little moments seem to slip from my mind like water through fingers . I need to set aside a time just for capturing those snippets in each day that make life wonderful. I may just have to set my alarm thirty minutes earlier, for that is when I have the greatest chance of quiet time.

Yesterday morning, it was just Peter and me in the kitchen, making coffee together. Perched on the counter, he picked up the box of coffee filters. He was chattering non-stop about this and that, but I stopped short when I heard him read the numbers on the side of the box. "One, two, four, six," he read proudly. I did not know he recognized his numbers. In that moment, he aged considerably in my mind. Not a toddler, but a preschooler.

In the afternoon, we joined another family at one of the Christmas markets nearby. This one boasted live camels and wise men, along with a medieval section. It was cold, but not bitterly so. I was comfortable in my jacket and hat. The crowds were unbelievable. I want to return next year on a weekday to enjoy it with less of a crowd. Even crowded, we had a good time. The kids rode on a toboggan, shot arrows from a bow, saw the camels, ate chimney cakes, listened to music played on medieval instruments, and even saw people juggling flaming torches. Not bad for an afternoon outing.