With the passing of 336 hours, the sounds and rhythm of my house will change. Delightfully so.

In 14 short days, my laundry load will increase by 25% and so will my grocery bill. I can’t wait.

Two weeks from today, sisters will be reunited and a daughter will return to her mother and father. Tears will spill and laughs will burst out.

In a fortnight’s time, with my daughter asleep in her own bed, I will sleep sounder than I have in months. And, peace will fill my heart.

Being a bit of a rebel, I haven’t and won’t be limiting my posts to the NaBloPoMo December theme, joy. However, this morning, I find I can’t contain my joy, so here I am, writing about joy.

This morning, as I waited for my coffee to brew, I glanced at the calendar and mentally inventoried my to-do list. Initially distracted, I missed the big red heart that appears directly 2 rows below today’s date on the 18th. My eyes caught just a glimpse of the red and my heart fluttered as my brain scrambled to decipher the message; 2 weeks from today, just 2 more weeks and she’s home!

Attending school 2 states away (almost 12 hours by car and, with campus close to 2 hours from the airport, a good half day of travel via bus and airplane), weekends home, including the Thanksgiving holiday, are not practical. In addition, due to scheduling conflicts and justified by the fact this is not her first year away, C’s dad and I didn’t attend family weekend in October. By the time she steps foot on Denver soil, she will have been gone almost 17 full weeks. 17 weeks since I’ve held her in my arms. 17 weeks since I stroked her hair or shared a quiet morning’s conversation. 17 weeks since I heard her squeal with excitement or heard the giggles shared between sisters. 17 weeks since I watched her and her dad head out the door for some dad-daughter time. 17 long weeks, more than 25% of a year, not long in the big scheme of things, but a lifetime when measured by a mother’s heart.

But today, rather than measuring the time by the days she’s been gone, I measured by the days until she comes home and my heart is filled with joy; joy for the return of all things familiar and all things family. In a fortnight’s time, my daughter will sleep in her bed once more and today, my heart bursts with joy in anticipation.