Yesterday it rained and rained and rained, and I turned on the space heaters and wore thick socks and held my little girl all day long, but it felt like no matter what, I couldn't get warm. And even though the Christmas tree lights stayed on all day and my little fake fireplace did its best to keep our living room feeling cheerful, I felt…sad. I started thinking about people I wish I could see more often, and people that I can't see anymore at all. And then I started thinking about my children growing up and moving out and how desperately I'll miss them, and then poof:

--> Sadness spiral.

The holiday season can do that to you sometimes.

And so when I picked up my son from school, I decided it would be a good day to do something special together. We dragged out the little ladder that he uses when he helps me cook and pulled it over next to the stove. I chopped potatoes and carrots and celery and he poured them all into the pot, and then we snuggled up on the couch and watched Christmas cartoons while the soup bubbled and the kitchen filled up with the smell of wonderful things.