Just a sleepy summer day...

    The sewing machine clatters as Mom runs the fabric through her hands. Then the scissors nibble away on the unwanted material and it falls on the carpeted floor. The machine shakes the card table when the thread jumps through the fabric.

Jessica sits cross-legged in the laz-e-boy dressed in loose jeans and a t-shirt. She’s holding William in her arms, and his chubby face is stretching with toothless smiles as he makes happy baby noises. His squirming brings his chin down, and his fingers grab hold of a loose blanket.

Legos scrape the edge of a red box when Nathanael pushes all the pieces to the side as he jabbers to himself. He starts stacking and building, and his head moves to the side as he leans on his elbows.

The fan runs slowly, the cords hanging down jiggling just the slightest bit back and forth. Pins stick out of Mom’s mouth as she nods attentively to Jessica’s conversation. The computer blows out air as it warms my blanket-covered lap, and the laptop keys push down with clicking noises.

The sun shining through the window shows fluttering shadows on the floor. The world outside is a sleepy summer afternoon in a small town, and the only movements visible are the wavering Maple tree branches.