How do you know?

When I was a little girl, I used to sleep with an extraordinary amount of stuffed animals! So many in fact, that I often times went without covers and hung off the side of the bed so that they would all be comfortable and warm. It was important that they each had some piece of the blankets and none of them were "smooshed"! My mother would eventually come in and re-tuck me in after I fell asleep so that I wouldn't be upset about my friends freezing to death, because they were not inanimate objects, they were my friends and I needed to take care of them.

I was reminded of this childhood gem as I enjoyed ice cream with my family in the town of Northampton, MA this evening near The Chocolate Emporium. (Best Ice Cream Ever by the way!) In addition to the treat of mint chocolate chip/triple chocolate combo dish, I was happy to sit back and watch all the passers-by on this beautiful  summer evening.

I was especially taken by a father and daughter as they made their way up Main Street. She couldn't have been more than four or five and was smiling as she held her daddy's hand on their walk. Directly in front of our seats is the Northampton Frog for the Hungry. It is a cast iron frog with a slot for donations for the local residents in need of food. He is rather silly looking as he lays on his side with his head propped up on his front "leg". Up until this evening, he has just been a landmark for us to stop and savor the flavor of the day on the ledge nearby. But when this little girl approached the corner where Mr. Frog resides, she turned to him and waved and smiled at him. Her dad was busy watching for traffic, so he did not notice~but I saw her eyes light up and knew that she saw Mr. Frog smile back at her too!

In an instant, my heart was full of joy for this little girl and her moment of magic, for myself and the memories of my furry companions and for the man sitting next to me who encouraged those moments of magic for our little girl all those years ago.

It was a simple and magical day this 18th of June and I am grateful to know that magic does not disappear because I got older, I just need to look harder to see it sometimes.

Peace & Love,
Mandy