Poppy Field Letters

                                                                                                           May 2, 2013
Dear Janey,

                   

  March 4, 2013

  This photo was taken the day before life shifted for me. For us. Looking back, with the perspective I have now, I can see the miracle that this day truly was.
  It was Monday the 4th of March. It was early out Monday. Oliver doesn't attend preschool on Mondays and for some reason, that day I couldn't bring myself to send Adler to school. He had begged to stay home with Oliver. Pleaded actually. I initially had refused as Addy had already missed quite a bit of school with what we thought to be a kidney infection and or kidney stones. So, I was hesitant to have him miss any further school. But, for some beautiful reason, my momma girl heart acquiesced. For which I will forever be grateful.
     It was a slow motion day....But, in the sweetest of ways. We readied for the day. I remember brushing my hair and overhearing Addy and Ollie plotting about plans to "eat out." Sure enough, a few minutes later, Adler galloped up the stairs...Their plans seeping through his toothless grin. Again, in-spite my initial inclination to put it off for another day...I shrugged and pulled my hair into a bun readying myself for a hot lunch date.
    It was early March still and we'd had very few warm days...But, this day was different. As if,the Universe knew we would want to fill our pockets with warm sunshine. And, so we did. Every square inch. The boys debated and agreed upon Burger King. Funny enough, I don't think either of them had ever eaten there before. But, for whatever reason, that's where we found ourselves. We had the Playplace to ourselves. The boys played and ate and played some more. Sunlight streaming in through the floor to ceiling windows. Adler ate his cheeseburger and asked for a second one. He'd never done that before and it caught me off guard. But, I found myself at the counter again. "One cheeseburger and Two crowns please." On my way back to the Playplace the boys met me in the middle...half skipping, half jumping to see what treasure the "King" had bequeathed me.
   When the boys were full (bellies and otherwise) we left to run afternoon errands. The fabric store, the Post Office and Target. Even as the errands were unfolding, I had the conscious thought: "The boys are happy today...I bet they are so happy to be waking from hibernation." And, Janey, they were. So happy. So full.
   We made it home to the bigger brothers. I again overheard the "littles." This time though, they were telling tale of crowns and Target store dollar toys. They spoke quickly....In streams of giddy, run on sentences. 
   The day made way for evening which shook hands with the night. I tucked those beautiful boys in extra tightly and kissed them on the top of their heads. Never dreaming that a few short hours later, the events of that day would be a "starting line" and "finishing line" all at the same time. Sometimes life is just like that I suppose. Definitive mile markers. Thank you Jane for being there at either end of that spectrum. And in between too.


               King crown wishes,
                      -Sara