All I needed was a slice of apple pie

Yesterday afternoon we took the girls to a new park.

It was about 20 minutes away from our fair city.

All we knew was that the park was in a certain town, we didn't know anything more.

K packed up a picnic lunch while I got the kids ready to go.

Past corn fields and grain elevators.

As we pull into the town we were wondering where the park could be.

We passed high school boys standing outside the fire station waving American flags.

We passed a baseball diamond and there, behind the diamond we saw it..

The park.

Oh if you could of heard the whoops and hollers of our three children.

We pull into the parking lot and immediately noticed all the cars.

Two families were having some get togethers.

We pulled into our space, got the kids out of the car and let them go to the playground.

They were ready and all but sprinted to discover the new fun things that awaited their exploration.

The bigger girls quickly found other children to play with while Abby was more than happy to explore by herself.

K and I watched the excitement while unpacking our lunches and getting things ready.

Kids, time to eat!

Do I have to eat now?

No, you can eat when you are ready for a break.

K and I talked and ate and watched the kids while they played.

Laughing and commenting on how they each found the thing that they like to do.

Adison- the swings

Ainsley- the slides

Abby- the bouncy bridge

The girls would come and go, eating and then running off to play.

At one time, Abby finished eating, looked back at Ainsley and said:

Come on, sister

After a bit the girls all called for Daddy to come play with them.

They are used to me playing, Daddy being at the park was a treat.

I sat there, finishing up my lunch and taking it all in.

The sound of my children laughing with my husband.

The corn fields just beyond the playground.

The baseball diamond off to the left.

It was a snapshot of America.

Such a blessed way to spend an anniversary of such horrific trauma.

This was America.

Families.

Children laughing.

Being together.

Then, to make the afternoon even more wonderful a trio of older adults came with their musical instruments.

One man played the guitar and sang, another man played the fiddle and the woman also played her fiddle.

In between songs, the trio would talk and laugh a bit.

Then I could hear the music again and occasionally the sound of the man singing.

The children would come and go, needing drinks or a snack.

I played and rode with Ainsley on the swing for a bit, went down the slides with Abby and explored the playground with Adison.

Ainsley wanted to swing so high that we could touch the trees.

Eventually K and I made our way back to the table.

I then told him that all we needed was a piece of apple pie because it doesn't get any more American then that moment.

Yesterday afternoon was a treat.

A moment when the world felt right again.

When all was as it should be.