Friday or the Sun?

Is it just because it is Friday afternoon?  Or has the sun steadily crept high enough, stretched the days and strengthened long enough to reach into our house and shake us awake and pull us out of the darkness of a long cold winter?  We are a family of five and lately this house has been shadowed by a subtly increasing change in dispositions, that has left us all cross, and crabby.  Bickering boys and a grumpy girl picking and pestering, imapatient and impertinent.  At each other, not with each other.  Not just the children, if I am honest, each and every one of us has been submersed in a season of suffering.

Today, in that blinding second, like when the sun bursts over the lake on a clear morning, there was a sudden and undeniable shift of techtonic proportions in our whole family.  Smiles and silliness replaced sullen and snippy for our ride home today as the kids inexplicably investigated the contents of their backpacks to delicious delight, that only a combination of clean underwear. . . "Underwear?!!", month old candy, and clods of clay could seemingly arouse.  At dinner, C once again resembled a relaxed and happy child we recalled from some distant past.  His genuine smile was wide and reaching all the way to his eyebrows crooked with charm. J and L were giggling geese, goofing around and getting along superbly.  L and I danced then Daddy played.  I did yoga to the blaring sound of old CD's, Alabama and Aaron Tippin, spun by my number two son, and laughter from the livingroom. . .first time for everything.  My little girl wiggled beneath my downward dog and squealed "Hug me!"  and I did.

It is Friday.  The sun is high.  The sap will surely run tomorrow after a long cold winter.  Spring is on it's way and it already stopped at our house for a while sprinkle some cheer and good faith.