In the quiet of the night

All mothers will tell you, there is a calm that comes with the night. The children are tucked into their beds, the dinner dishes washed (or at least soaking), and there is a quiet hum of a house that has seen too much activity and needs to rest. At these moments, no matter who long the day, or horrifically behaved the children, you can bask in the life that you live. My day was quite long, and my evening consisted of working for FT school and writing a paper for the doctoral program. At almost 10 pm, I still need to make lunches for the girls, pack their backpacks, check the weather and plan clothes. But now, just now, I walk through the quiet house and am thankful for the noise and the craziness that children bring, for the kisses and the arguments, the tears and the laughter. I am lucky to know that three little souls love and need me, and one big soul respects and loves me. I could not imagine a day not filled with "I love you" and am so happy that I have a life as full as I do.