As I stand in the berry patch with warm raspberry juice dripping from my fingers and lips, the hot sun freckling my shoulders, I look around me. Scarlett is herding our flock of chickens through the yard and away from the vegetable garden, where she has been tending her crop of green beans planted so carefully by her tiny hands earlier this summer. She is already living her dream of becoming a farmer. I can hear Olivia's giggles and shrieks from the creek running behind the house as she and a friend brave the cold water and muddy slime to tube down the area that she's termed "the rapids." Milo, wearing diaper, sneakers, and helmet, is ripping up the pump track on his bike. He stops every so often to say, "Mom, watch this," or "did you see thaaaat?!" The expression on his face is simultaneously concentration, exhilaration, anticipation, and joy. The dirt on his face and knees reminds me of his dad's biking gear, soaking in the laundry room. I gladly wash out the mud, knowing that the afterglow from yesterday's great ride will remain with Ben all week. My scrubs are waiting for their turn in the washer as well. I've come straight to the berry patch after returning home from witnessing another miracle. A baby came earth side, a woman became Mother. As I watch my children, I reflect on the great outings we've had this summer: Grandma and Grandpa's cabin in Island Park, rafting the Provo river, hiking Mount Timpanogas's cave, the Heslop family reunion at Donate Springs, parks, pools, plays, a demolition derby, concerts, cookouts, bike rides, water fights, sleepovers, the list goes on and on......
But none of it compares to this moment right here and right now in our own back yard.
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