What I stand for

I stand for off-white linen curtains that fall beside morning windows, which are smudged with the curious fingerprints of a 7, 6, 4 and 2-year-old.

I stand for zip-up sleepers that cover the chilly toes of my gurgling, chubby baby.

I stand for hot, fresh bread made from 6 ingredients, topped with yellow butter made from cows who eat grass.

I stand for Autumn days.

And Spring ones, too.

And Winter mornings when the sky is icy grey.

I stand for dark, stormy afternoons that give full permission to stay inside under a blanket and read Harry Potter.

I stand for kissing my husband when we say goodbye — and hello — and excuse me, I need to reach my cup of coffee —

And oh, I stand for coffee. With real cream and something sweet.

I stand for friends who know you and love you anyway.

And for taking care of each other.

For bringing leftover cake to a neighbor’s doorstep.

And bookshelves stuffed with books.

I stand for the hypnotizing, contagious, world-peace-inducing grin of a baby.

And the joy of a full dinner table.

I stand for standing up to offer help.

And also, for sitting down.

I stand for dresses on sale from Anthropologie and imperfect, homemade gifts.

For cello music.

And The Sound of Music.

And singing out loud in the car to Adele.

I stand for faces instead of screens and long, good conversations that keep you up way too late.

I stand for Sunday brunch and mimosas.

For picnics under trees.

And for family reunions that make you feel like a kid again.

For the simple things that have nothing to do with power or fame or whatever it’s so easy to think is so important.

I stand for hand-writing letters,

And hand-making pretty things,

And rich, black dirt under too-short nails from digging up the sweet potatoes.

For backyard chickens,

And front-porch sitting,

For writing and snuggling and praying and knitting.

And for lip gloss. I also stand for lip gloss.

I stand for the pursuit of truth and justice —

And for dark chocolate after lunch.

For telling stories and hearing stories and writing stories that matter.

I stand for a world where we can all be

exactly who we were made to be:

people who create art

and love each other

and eat cake

and act silly

and think deeply

and who live a life

that stands for something.

 

 

2 Comments

  1. Christine

    In lieu of the most recent election in the United States, such beautiful writing!! Being a Canadian, I hope your positive and kind spirit continues to inspire and encourage all those Americans around you who may be feeling like there is no hope. It has done just that for at least one Canadian…

    Thank you for your blogging!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *