Ah! Just what she loved to get.  This looked like no less than three checks… and… what could be in that fourth official looking letter?  Her lips turned up in a smile in anticipation and she joined the girls in a happy giggle.

And then there was that wonderful idea Danny had had to put that little trash bin beside the mailbox.  What joy her heart felt as she tossed out the weekly flyers of junk which never ceased.  “Goodbye”, her heart sang to each piece with the fling.  It was minuscule but it changed her life never having to bring a piece of mailed trash into her home.  She felt lighter with each flick of her wrist into the trash bin.

Her last flick yielded a pile of letters on the passenger seat and she eased what remained of the family down the driveway in front of the house. How she loved the sight of her dear blue house.

She tucked the mail under her arm and piled out to unload the twins.  They seemed oblivious to her as she toted them inside. The soft breeze brushed her bangs back as she walked up the covered path to the front door.  Her heart was home.

“Macie!” she called out as soon as she had set the girls down, “We’re home.”  Though she knew dear Macie was certainly aware of their arrival.  The boys had let the whole neighborhood know as soon as they had bailed from the car.  Apparently, the whoops of cowboys and Indians were still fresh on their brains from the living history day they’d just been entrenched in.  She hoped Macie had enjoyed her 1/2 day off.  She would certainly make up for it tonight.  So lucky the food was almost completely prepared already.  Now, just to lay it out and put on the finishing touches.

Guests would arrive in a few hours so they had plenty of time.  Macie’s soft french accent called from her bedroom, “did you find everything?”  “Oh yes…”  Sarah joyfully relayed along with all the instructions of where what was supposed to go as Macie made her way to the door to fetch the all those what’s for the where’s.

While Macie was gone, Sarah picked up Chloe to feed her.  She never tired of feeding these little girls.  Which was good since breastfeeding twin girls without any supplementing was quite an event.  She relished every moment though.  Even now, little Chloe nuzzled in for her early dinner and she could not take her eyes off her.  What a treasure to her mothering instincts to be able to feed these loves.  Such troubles she’d had with the boys.

Oh, but this was so different.  Her heart was so soft now.  Nothing could have swayed her from sharing all this love.  Even if she’d not been able to produce all the liquid gold their chubby little fingers needed to maintain their marshmallow effect… she would have been happy.  She could not be enticed these days to sink into those depths that had persuaded her to lose herself then.  No, she was happy… “Oh!” that reminded her of those letters she had dropped in the entry when she came in.

“Macie, dear, could you toss me those letters please?”  Macie had the ability to somehow make even the throwing of a bunch of letters toward a nursing mom nestled in a queen size bean bag seem somehow like a ballet.  They all landed neatly within arms reach and their allure played it’s music upon Sarah’s fingers as she eagerly opened them.

Check.  Check.  Check.  Golly!  She loved this.  And, what would this official one be… She gently tore it open, her fingers plying the strangely folded envelope.  It was one of those tear-open types, where the perforation is on the outside…  She unfolded it and searched for the identifying words.  A gasp escaped her lips and the baby jumped just a little with her excitement.

“What!?”  She was a winner!  Was this for real?  Is this just one of those sweepstakes things… no, wait… here was the ticket number… yes, she HAD entered that raffle last month… What???  Golly a trip to Scotland!  Yep, that HAD been one of the prizes.  Wow!  She couldn’t wait to tell Danny.  Wasn’t this just her luck.  Oh what fun!  She had always wanted to visit Scotland…and now… Wow.

She nuzzled in to Chloe’s soft hair and felt the wonder that her life always left her with.

Ahhhhh… Love.