The Simple Things

     I am a firm believer that the simple things in life are the best things.  Tonight was one of those nights that reinforced that thinking.  It wasn't an especially busy night at our house, but the simplicity of it was wonderful.  My daughter is running cross country for the first time and we went out together for a short  run.  I haven't run in a year because of my injury last fall.  I'm finally ready to step out again and it was great slipping on my running shoes and heading out for my favorite form of exercise.  I run in all kinds of weather so the soft sprinkles of rain were welcome. My daughter learned first hand the pleasure of a rain shower during our outing.  We finished off our little work out with a trip up to our fitness room and she worked the kinks out of her legs with a few weight training exercises and some deep stretches.  Nothing fancy - just mother daughter quality time.
     Anyone who knows me will tell you that one of my favorite places to go on Saturday morning is the farmer's market.  Even if I don't buy a thing, I love going and looking at all the beautiful veggies and perusing the food carts and seeing friends and neighbors.  This week I purchased 3 pounds of Gravenstien  apples specifically for home made apple sauce.  Tonight was the night.  My daughter kept me company as I peeled and chopped up the apples.  While they cooked we watched our favorite football team, the Washington Redskins, battle their mortal enemies the Dallas Cowboys, and ate pizza and salad for dinner.  The smell of the apple sauce simmering on the stove was heavenly.  The cinnamon and brown sugar combined with the fresh scent of ripe apples made our house come alive with the scent of autumn.  What could be better than that?
     As I sit here now in the quiet of the late evening I'm very grateful for the simple things that I often take for granted.  I have a wonderful little family and we love each other a lot.  We tell each other that at least a hundred times a day and sometimes it still doesn't seem like enough.  We live in a nice little apartment and I have a nice car.  Nothing fancy, but nice enough to make life seem wonderfully simple.
Cheers!