Quality Time

This morning I awoke with an incredibly grateful heart. My family is safe, the water in the street drained overnight, and we have one another. Many of my family, friends, and colleagues are not faring as well as Harvey continues to cause destruction, damage, and heartbreak for so many in Houston.

While the name Harvey as of late is synonymous with so much negativity, there is one silver lining attached to this horrific storm. This ray of sunshine in so much darkness is the opportunity for quality time. So often in life, we are forced to march to the tick-tock timelines of the clock. Our alarm goes off signaling the start of our work day and like the gun of a race, we’re off.

Hurricane Harvey opened the door to uninterrupted quality time. Since Saturday with the exception of venturing out around the neighborhood to assess the conditions, the four of us have been under the same roof for over 72 hours. Time has not revolved around a clock but rather centers around our time together as a family. Unstructured play, jumping on the bed, cuddling up to watch a movie, chasing after your big brother’s remote control car, reading books, sitting down as a family for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and making memories every step of the way.

Soon enough, the hustle and bustle of life will return as the roads clear, schools reopen, and we are inundated in our day-to-day routines. In the meantime, I will hug my children and husband a little harder grateful for their safety and the opportunity to savor all of these little moments together.