cinnamon sticks

Cinnamon sticks ride the lazy waves on the simmering water as their spicy, warm fragrance sifts through each room announcing that Fall has arrived.

The bare, carefree wooden planks in the family room have settled under the warm fleece of the Alpaca rug. Balmy colours of summer have been replaced by cozy, wrap-yourself-in-warmth blankets.

Naked toes and bony knees of my children have retreated under covered shoes and warm cotton clothes.

Brand new backpacks' bellies are expanded full with wooden pencils boasting scuff-free red tops; crisp, white paper begging for scribbles and scrawlings and tiny shoes that ache for excited feet to fill their soles.

I stare at my calendar and try to prepare myself for all the important firsts...first day of school, first friends, first teacher, first wave good-bye, first lunch away, first night at home telling me tales - that I did not witness first-hand. 

And this is when the truth settles deep into my heart: these are their firsts - not mine. 


I have lived a lifetime of firsts and there are still many more to discover. Tomorrow is a new day... I just need to decide what to do first.

A look back at this week in thanksgiving for many firsts I got to experience for myself, and through my children:

857. My first homemade apple pie (I think I like this pie making thing...)
858. Packing my daughter's new backpack.
859. Counting down the days with my son until his first day of kindergarten.
860. Tiny pink ballerina slippers for my daughter's first dance class.
861. First time planning our women's bible study brunch.
862. Watching an outdoor movie at Leah's house with all the kids snuggled warm.
863. Daughter's first eye exam (she passed ;)
864. First colours of Fall.
865. First time I called my neighbour to send my son home for dinner. (so very grown up!)
866. First time my son crossed the road without me by his side.
867. First glimpses into who my little ones are going to grow up to be.