this moment...

years after my father passed, i had 'this vision', if you will, for i never experienced anything like it before or since. it was so powerful and so poignant and it lifted the heaviness that my heart had carried since he died. in my vision, soared a hawk - i have never forgotten the details of it nor the peace it brought me. the strange thing is, since then, real hawks swoop into my life at the most profound of times. yesterday, as we drove north to see a specialist for ryder, one flew next to our car before landing on a post and that same feeling washed over me again. i choose to believe that if we are open enough the universe provides these signs, should we choose to see. i choose to believe these are signs of comfort and hope.

i just want to say thank you for all the love, support, and prayers. each one has bridged the distance that one sometimes feels when living so far from home. we still do not know what this sore is, but hope to have some answers in the next few weeks. the good news is, ryder is otherwise very healthy and happy. he has just started smiling and when he does he has this wonderful crooked grin with great big dimples.

so amid this limbo, this unusual sore, a big brother who is fighting off yet another cold by running through the house with a superhero cape and a 'nose paper' (aka tissue), and the countdown until i return to work -- your messages of support, this baby's sweet cheeky grin, and the comfort of a winged creature are all making my heart feel full.

**to the bird on the post...this is for you**