A Visit to Indiana...

As I write, I am sitting in my dear old friend Wendy's living room, surrounded by three dogs and the Becher family. Wendy and I met at a play date in the park when all five of our children were preschoolers and have stayed the best and closest of pals over nearly fifteen years, thousands of miles and myriad changes. All of our children are nearly grown--or on the edge of adulthood and we are both solidly in middle age now. Amazing.

Our lives have changed, our homes have changed, our families have changed and yet there are so many things that seem to have not changed at all. It has been decades since we tried to carve out a coherent conversation amidst diaper changes, arguments over toys, peanut butter sandwiches and carpools. We have shared memories and hundreds of ones that we have experienced separately and it delights me to find the two of us talking, laughing and wandering with the sincerest of connections.

While I am here in Indiana, I still feel very connected to "back home" too--my girl, my kids, my friends and all the other pieces of connection that make up a life. It is a blessing to be able to stretch across the miles and across the years and truly appreciate the surprising comforts that life serves up.