Dear ECS,
Hey there sweetie, we have had a nice spring thus far and thought I would write you a bit of a snapshot of this time in our life and year. Spring is a great time of year here in the DC area, the weather is really great (although with some spring rain to bring the May flowers), your birthday is an anchor point in our family, the flowers bring delight throughout our neighborhood and beyond, and the verdant green of the trees remind us of life, rebirth and seasonality.
It is a time for everyone in our family, Rosy loves chasing around all the squirrels, and even the deer that have come snooping into our yard. Your mom is really enjoying working on the yard and planting flowers, herbs and other plants that will make our life more delightful in the near and long term. You are so loving playing in the neighbor with all your friends, zipping this way and that, doing Earth Day clean up on the creek, and helping out with the aforementioned yard work. Me? I am loving the weather for trail runs, patio hangouts with friends and firing up the BBQ.
We also traveled along the east coast up to Maine and visiting friends in Cambridge and NYC. We were the rare DC folks who headed north for spring break - where it was much less spring. The trees remained bare and the wind sometimes biting. But, the grace and peace we feel being up in Maine was so welcome and a pace of life up there really calms all of our souls. Seeing you get dirty in the woods and romping around the island with your friends made us so happy and grateful for our time up there in the fall of 2020 and the relationships that have flowered as a result.
On the way up to Maine, we stopped with dear friends in Cambridge - it had been too long since we saw them. It had been years since you hung out with their kiddos and those years melted away very quickly, after a few minutes of understandable shyness, and it was like you had a playdate just a week ago. That melting away of time and distance is one of my favorite parts of deep friends and fellowship and to see it play out with you and your relationships was a real cherry on top of a great visit.
We also got to spend quality time walking around the Cambridge community, take in the Charles River, learn about the history on our friends' street that predates our nation’s founding by more than a century, and eat yummy food. Also a bonus was getting to seeing your babas (my parents), who were in Boston for the weekend.
And then on our way back from Maine, we visited close friends in Brooklyn. These are friends from our time in Ethiopia, and they have been part of your life for more than half of your life. They have seen you go from being a cute toddler to the kiddo you are today, which is quite a journey and progress and development. We had so much fun in our visit, that we popped back up to NYC for a redux weekend that was even more majestic and special, in a huge part for me because I got to go to a Celts playoff game against the Nets - game three of that series and a huge Celts win.
Walking around Brooklyn as a family, as we supported our friends running the Brooklyn half marathon the next day, was an experience we will not soon forget. Your query and plans for us to move to NYC that day was very clear proof you are in agreement.
So, yes honey, spring has sprung and we will keep savoring the beauty of our environment and the spirit of renewal and rebirth.
love,
dad
