My sense of things, 3rd edition

I see stacks of soft pink erasers and shiny, sharpened silver pencils with dark black wood being readied for the children at our Christmas eve service. I hope they will love the magical pencils as much as I do.

I hear the heavy breathing of two little girls in afternoon naps. I wonder what they are dreaming? Is Audrey thinking about the toy washing machine she wants or her last minute request for a doll named Carver? Is Vivienne seeing the twinkly lights we drove by last night and smiling?

I taste my favorite granola, made by a friend and her girls, creamy milk, and the last bites of our Cowgirl Creamery batch 14 cheese.

I smell the faint sprucey scent of our Christmas tree lit with golden lights and frosted with candy-colored ornaments.

I feel light and happy and tired and full.

Merry Christmas to all.

(Note: I made a four hour round trip to the Cowgirl Creamery in Point Reyes Station at the start of December with a friend and 5 little girls. It was my idea, and it was a little crazy. I was a giant undertaking that meant a couple very late nights because I lost a day, and some difficult moments with tired children, but fully worth it for the treasure bag of cheese I brought home and the treasure it always is to adventure with our friends. Batch 14 was a test batch of a new hard cheese they are trying out. It was amazing, and the fact that it is the only Batch 14 I will ever be able to have made it all the more wonderful.)