I'm back!

I'm back, and boy do I ever love Amsterdam! Most of the cities I have visited for this job have been exciting for their mystery and strangeness. Amsterdam was the equivalent of a fleece sweater and a big pair of fuzzy slippers!

I can't say I know the city well, but have probably been a few dozen times over the last decade. Many street corners held such nice memories: concerts, festivals, sumptuous meals. I love the architecture and the cobblestone streets! And I just love the Dutch! They are so straightforward and I really recognize a lot of myself mirrored back at me--it's a culture that really speaks to me!

Arrived home and the kids were full of enthusiasm and anecdotes. S was brandishing a black eye sustained in some sort of stunt and I swear B grew 5 centimeters just in the week I was gone!

This evening B broke a rule and punishment was swift and merciless: no dessert. When we finished dinner S got three pieces of candy, one of which he immediately passed to B! M and I smiled at each other and I actually got tears in my eyes!

We try so hard to instill a sense of compassion in our boys and every now and then we catch a small glimpse of it, like the silver flash of a fish as it flits past in sun dappled waters.