As winter looms over us I'm finding that I forgot some key supplies... snow boots and gloves for the kids. We have mittens, but they find them cumbersome {who doesn't?} and colorful mitts end up hidden in piles of snow or under carseats. So gloves it is, this year. It's rainy, so we opted to head out on our wild goose chase... Walmart and Target and the Dollar Store.
At the last stop we stood in a line ten deep to buy four dollars worth of cotton stretchy gloves. Fynn clung to my leg, overwhelmed with the people and the sounds. Paige danced by my feet, touching everything she could, making eyes at everyone who would look. At one point she rolled around on the floor, laughing and giggling as she went limp as I tried to pick her up.
Behind us stood an older woman, hands full of ribbon bows and jingle bells to hang on door handles. Her hair, more salt than pepper, held a beret of the reddest red. She caught Paige's mischievous eyes and told me "They grow, thankfully, they grow... so enjoy the process."
"Thank you... " I muttered, corralling my children, swiping my debit card, and grabbing our bag.
Paige settled on my hip, I had a hand around Fynn's back, and we made it out of the packed store filled with bins of gift bags and jingle bells... smiling with a little more patience.