Today is another rainy, foggy, grey day in Connecticut. This is the fourth day in a row. Baseball might be able to cheer us up. If only it were sunny enough to play...

As of last night, the two (most likely) candidates to fight over the U.S. presidency are Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. I know very few people who are particularly thrilled about either candidate. More than a few of us are despondent over the current state of politics in this country: the divisive rhetoric, the gridlock. The candidates will, no doubt, continue to pick each other apart until November and then we can look forward to a hotly-contested election. I anticipate hearing about long lines of people being unable to vote. I predict one or both parties voicing complaints.

At home, my husband and I continue to monitor our chronically ill child who is currently in remission (thank God!) My littlest one is struggling in a different way and is giving us all a run for our money. It consumes us almost daily.

I feel yucky. Or I should say, "I really want to feel yucky." I am tempted roll around in the mud and cry about how bad things are. I want to shed real tears over what's happening to my country. I want to hide in the basement under a blanket. I'm not going to do that, though.

After I finish this blog post, I'm going to meditate for a few minutes before my kids get off the bus. Then I'm going to "take a respite," as a friend had advised yesterday. This might include smelling the lilacs right outside my door or coloring with my own gigantic set of crayons that my children are rarely allowed to touch. It's very tempting to wallow and cry and feel sorry for ourselves. 

One of my best friends had this to say once, "Bad [stuff] is going to happen. What you need to do is prepare yourself for when it's going to happen instead of praying that it won't. Because it will happen." The best way to prepare for that is to be grateful for all the ways in which your life is going right. Today I'm grateful for:

• getting a workout in first thing this morning
• having the blessed job of photographing newborns
• holding a sweet baby girl, just this morning (in between photos)
• my dog, who is an immediate and constant 
• reminder of the good in the world
• food in my fridge, clothes in my closet (not all of them are old...), roof over my head
• breath in my lungs

Here are some photos that put a smile on my face. Enjoy the rest of your day, my friends!  <3