Sneaking Away During Sad Times

Mary died on a Tuesday--the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Michael and I hosted Thanksgiving at our house for all of our out-of-town family. The funeral was Saturday.

That Friday, after Mary died but before her funeral, Michael and I took our son Adrian to a local museum to sneak away just the three of us. We were sad, of course, and trying to find joy in small things. (That's my new thing, by the way.)

The local science museum has a small zoo of local animals--black bears, red wolves (my favorite), and lemurs. (Lemurs? Yes, they're local.) And every habitat we visited, it was like the animals knew we were coming, and put on the best show. It was incredible.

The black bears were snuggling right in front of us:



The lemurs were dancing around:



Two wolves ran all over their habitat, their red coats glimmering in the misty weather. Adrian loved watching:



He's wrapped in my version of the Lady Eleanor stole. I just made it wider and shorter, so it works as a stroller blanket. I used Noro Niji yarn, a crinkly yarn made of mostly silk and wool--so it is lightweight (fits under the stroller) and warm.

The morning we snuck away is such a precious memory for me. We didn't tell anyone we were going. Mike and I held hands the whole time. The museum was pretty empty because the morning started with rain and we got there early.

I've realized that sometimes happy memories don't just happen--you have to make them, on purpose.

--Katie Rose