Hope's Dream

I close my eyes and there you are… a fluffy blonde haired toddler, laughing as you chase after a Golden Retriever puppy. Running on green grass, you call behind you, your gaze on me, “Look Mama! A ‘goggy!’”

“Yes, lovey, I see you! A doggy!”

Daddy and I smile at each other, and in that smile is joy. Our joy in watching you. Our love for you. Our happiness in the lovely afternoon at the park. Summer. Warm 70s day. Blue sky with wispy white clouds. Your sisters are off playing… swinging side-by-side in white eyelet sundresses. Hannah is tall and lanky; Natalie's reddish-brown hair in a braid. They giggle.

There is nothing better than this moment.

Your hair and the puppy’s fur almost match. You keep barreling through the grass, running as fast as you can in your little khaki overall shorts. You trip and tumble over your little legs, and the puppy comes running to lick your face.

This must be Heaven.