On our Front Porch

I love the time between 4:30 and 5:30ish on our street. Everyone is coming home from work, the babies are taking rides in their strollers, the kids are playing soccer or reading, the rocking chairs are coming out to the porches, everyone is catching up on the news of the day, and we are all sighing in relief that the worst heat is past. I caught some tears sneaking up to my eyes a couple times last week as I sat outside chatting with my neighbors, thoroughly enjoying this ritual that has become an important part of our daily life and realizing that we only have a few months left. Our porch is a good meeting place because it is an excellent height for sitting, we have a good shade tree, and it is in the middle of the street.

On our front porch . . .

there is friendship,

there is innocence,

there are babies,

there is music,

there are good times,

there is learning,

there is eating,

there is laughing,

there is mischief,

there is kissing (no picture of this, but there is plenty of it between the teenage couples hanging around on our porch),

there are paper airplanes,

there is relaxing,

there is excitement,

there is peace.