I was all ready to write about the trauma of trying to find the perfect outfit for the Listen To Your Mother Show. But then I heard what happened at the finish line of the Boston Marathon and blogging about my fashion woes seemed about as appropriate as tweets like “9 inches of snow. It’s like spring in Canada! #denver” sandwiched between “Our hearts are with Boston” and “Bless the men & women who ran towards the explosion to help victims right after it detonated. They never hesitated. #heroes”

Today, thousands of miles from the place where the tragedy would unfold, we woke up to a quiet, peaceful blanket of snow. My plan to take Sweet Pea to inspect the Listen To Your Mother poster proof at the print shop in the Burley trailer didn’t make any sense in these weather conditions.

But I hate driving. I loathe schlepping Sweet Pea in and out of the car seat. And I really don’t like removing snow from my car. Instead of a garage, we have a section of what used to be a garage, a sweet little unheated room that we hardly use, a Boulder address, and a large loan from our mortgage bank.  Our house is a 3 minute walk to the bus stop, though. So I bundled us up in our puffiest, warmest duds, popped Sweet Pea in the Kelty backpack, and hopped on the bus.

Sitting behind us was a man with a graying mustache, bright eyes, and more than a few deep laugh lines etched around his mouth. He made faces at Sweet Pea for nearly the whole ride. I wasn’t in a position to see what he was doing, exactly, but based on Sweet Pea’s grins, I could tell he was bringing the funny faces with gusto never before seen on the SKIP bus (at least not by me).

He told me he had five kids who were all now in their teens and twenties. He said his kids missed the 15 passenger van he used to drive them and their friends around in. Talking about the fun he used to have taking all his kids and their friends to the mountains, he beamed.

A few stops later, he stood up and headed for the exit. As he passed us, he looked at me in the eyes and said “Enjoy the gift of parenthood.”

Right on, man.

What gifts are you grateful for today?