after christmas

This moment: 

Walking from the kitchen to the office
with a fresh mug of coffee in hand
and a fresh, sleepy baby in arm,
I glance at my girls setting up their new watercolors
to paint at the creaky kitchen table,
and hear the clatter of plastic blocks
being strewn upon the rug in the next room
as my boy opens up his new Lego set to begin building.

The after-Christmas warmth hangs in the air,
that feeling of contentment
and the softness and sanctity of a Silent Night still ringing in our ears,
our hearts still deliciously full
from watching loved ones open the packages we
so lovingly wrapped
with the prettiest ribbon that could be found,
their faces alight from the glow
of the Christmas tree 
and all the love.

This moment...

It's like catching an unexpected whiff of a fresh-baked pie,
or stepping into a warm spot on the floor
from the sun shining in the window 
(even on the coldest winter day)

These simple moments
that I walk by one hundred times a day
and usually, ignore.

They are moments that make my heart swell with emotion
and make me happy for this ordinary, beautiful, messy existence
we are living
all 365 days
after Christmas.

River, age 7