the simplicity and bounty of eliza’s birthday party seems in horrific contrast to the events of the world.

but i want to be at ease living in both worlds.
or maybe it’s walking down the middle of the two;
dipping in and out while coming back to center.
the hungry and the overfull.
the pure life energy and the dullness of lacking.
the carefree moments and those of fear.
the fire burning because we wanted it and the rubble that is left.

dipping in and out of all of life is where it’s at.

and on this day the backyard is where it was. eliza invited school friends for a backyard party with the chickens and the lambs.

these kids all attend the walton school and many of them live on farms.

when wanting to catch a certain chicken they didn’t call for the “brown one,” the called for the “buff orpington.” they didn’t call for the “black and white” one, they called for the “barred rock.”

they were kind and never complained about playing outside even in cool damp weather.

neighbor bunnies came and were almost impossibly cute.

having one child say, “mrs. epp, this is the best food i’ve ever had” made me feel like i was in another time period.

it was a family event:  naomi tied strings on all the donuts, micah and a friend hid eggs for a hunt, jerry grilled burgers and impromptu grilled cheeses, i was “in chawg because i know how to explain things so kids know what i mean.”

and when things resorted to piggy back rides, i felt AGAIN like it was another time period.  
such simple fun.

the day began and ended with gratitude for the joy. thank you, friends.