i wanted to write you from inside the quiet of social distancing.

while there have been things i’ve wrestled against, this time (not the virus, of course) has been exactly what i needed.

quiet.

slooooowness.

the first few weeks felt like too much, yes?

too much information still making it in.

i would take hot baths and think of all i was grateful for.

i picked up my dusty meditation practice.

my prayers became even longer.

oh, and i baked ;)  waaaaay more than i’d ever baked.

and then i walked.  sometimes up to 7 miles a day.

i’ve read.

together with the quiet, it became the nourishment needed to wash the sediment away.

i ordered some seeds (i promise this is related)…audrey and i researched, and as i type this letter to you, dozens of little plant babies are poking through the soft soil because they got what they needed.  warmth. light.  time.  nutrients.

a couple of times, we’ve done our history read-aloud amongst them.  stealing glances at the slightly different shapes.

i’ve never had my spirit feel more analogous to something happening beside me.

i have needed extra doses of light right now.

i’m so curious if amidst the initial upside downness for you, there has also been beauty.

some part of this time that you’ll miss.

some way that perhaps you can sense this has been what you needed.

what are you seeing more clearly?

may there be peace.

may there be love.

may there by joy.

may there be…..hope.

with affection from my social distance bubble to yours,

-melanie-

– once a week during our morning devotional, audrey and i would watch the chosen…i highly recommend it.  the first episode has some 2 rough parts you may want to pre-watch so you can judge the appropriate age for your children but we talked through them.

– gratefully, audrey and i have already had some solid practice time on how to learn together because this is our second year of homeschool… the dance of our new roles as a teacher and student…how to coach through frustration and i loved this moment when i saw my most favorite yoga teacher do the same. we are missing the library soooo much!

– last year, i put these up to flood our front room with rainbows…during the winter, they rarely appear so it felt extra good to have them back in mass last month.  they cover our arms, books and faces at a certain time of day…and we love it.   it’s all inspired by my grandmother who did the same thing when i was a child.  i’d love vintage chandelier ones even more so i’ll keep my eyes peeled and give them to audrey as a gift when she becomes a mother.

and…i miss you!  ;)