Cavanaugh and I heard fireworks on the way home tonight. He’s never seen them before since crowds and loud noises bother him. When I asked him yesterday if he wanted to go to a parade or a fireworks show, he said no. Then we saw green lights flashing open like a blossoming tree. He got interested. We could hear the noises from our house but couldn’t see over the oak tree in our front yard, so I asked if he wanted to go on a firework hunt.

His sleep hasn’t switched from the time change so he is up late every night. Rather than lying in bed trying to get him to sleep, I figured a little explore would be more fun. We drove down one of the main roads nearby and saw people shooting fireworks from their neighborhood. I pulled into a driveway of a business so we could watch.

We sat on the hood and looked at purple, white, and gold. When we got home, Cavanaugh called his daddy to say, “Pop pop pop,” and do a fireworks dance to show Mike what the explosions looked like. We’re setting up Skype on my new laptop before we leave town. I hope that being able to see Mike will mean they actually communicate while we’re in New Mexico. Cavanaugh is really excited by the videophone idea.

But I have no idea when we’re leaving town. I’m still packing and painting. Mike is supposed to have people come over to help on Tuesday. I hope that works out. In the meantime though, I think I’ve got another kidney infection and the air conditioning has gone back out on my car. The fix the mechanic tried lasted for five days so we’ll have to replace the compressor after all.

I’m trying not to get impatient or discouraged. One of the most helpful things I’ve heard this year is to “Let time take time.” Thankfully, it’s been rainy here so it’s relatively cool–for July. Even though Cavanaugh and I would both like to get out of town and not have me working on the house all the time, maybe there’s some reason for us to wait a few extra days before departing. We’ll see one way or the other.

In the meantime, I’m grateful for neighborhood fireworks, rain, and a patience flowing through me that I’ve never known before. I could be making the situation much more miserable by fighting it, so there’s something.

Pop pop pop or Happy 4th. I’m going to try to get my boy to sleep before 11 p.m.