end of a long week..........

Sometimes I prefer the one second delay on my digital camera because it allows me to capture a completely different moment than the one I had intended. This is a picture of my youngest sister with her youngest little guy, Thomas. I took it on Thursday evening at her house where we had all congregated for my brother in law's birthday. 7 cousins, 3 sisters and their husbands for dinner. Thomas is the youngest of the brood, and turns 4 in a couple of weeks. He's also our little miracle. Born 3 months early and weighing less than 2 pounds, Thomas began life thriving despite the odds because he's a stubborn little scrapper. Normally, he'd be leading the pack of cousins, or demanding that he is included in the melee, which was taking place behind the photo, away from the quiet corner. But, the little guy had the stomach flu all week. He stayed close to him mom and dad and we didn't have much of a chance to see him during our visit to Burlington. When I got the camera out to take a photo, Thomas was sitting on Lindsey's lap facing me. Usually, he's a ham in front of the lens. But, his energy was low, his belly was growling and it was the first time he had seen his mom all day, having spent it with his dad, while Lindsey went to work. In fact, it was the first time Lindsey has sat down since 6 am that morning. Her energy was low, and she needed a hug just as much as her son. It had been a long emotionally draining week for this family. Aside from work and school responsibilities, the flu kept them from sleep. As well, my sister was grieving for a friend who had been killed in a car accident the week before. I look at her face in this picture.......captured fatigue, a surrender into an embrace....... I'm impressed with her strength and ongoing sense of hope. I'm impressed with her ability to manage getting both of her boys ready for school early every morning, and then heading out with both in tow to the school where they attend and she teaches 6 year olds all day. I'm impressed that she can do all the daily things found in her basket of to do's, with hope and knowledge that tomorrow will be more manageable. She's a quiet doer, my sister. As she figures it all out, as she scrapes some time for herself every now and then, as she provides for many others........I think of her as a wonderful role model. It makes me smile.