I love to write, I don't need a ton of sleep, and I just created a blog ... sounds like a recipe for written expression! And, as I type in my quiet house, I am thinking about how I savor these sleep-deprived moments -- times wherein it seems as if the world is asleep, as if my thoughts can actually be my own, unfiltered and untouched by the literal daily noise we all encounter.

In about an hour, my three little ones will wake up (as will have the sun), and the transition from serenity to chaos will not be a smooth one. It will be welcomed, however. For as much as I tend to get overwhelmed by all of the noise, I do embrace the energy and action that abounds in my house as the kids get ready for school. First, Ben leaves the house, walking to his Junior High school. Then, that bus comes down the street to pick up Emily and Danielle, who have rushed through their breakfast and sat not-so-patiently for me to style their hair. When they get on the bus, I close the door and happily sigh ... happy that they're all off to experience their day ... happy that I did it -- that I fed and dressed them all ... that I made the lunches ... that I didn't forget anything. Or did I? Did I ever find Danielle's library book? Did I remember Emily's water bottle? What about Ben's reading log?

That's when I remind myself to let it go -- to be in the now. It is time for me. It is time to be. And, in just a moment, it will be time for "them." It will be time to be in the "later." For I will have to run to the grocery store to get food for tomorrow's lunches, and I do have to work on Emily's goodie bags. Oh, and Ben desperately needs some new pants as he is growing so quickly and looking as if he is preparing for very heavy rains.

And, now it is all cyclical. Speaking of the rain ... that is what woke me up at 3 a.m. today. Or, rather, that is what I woke up and spent several minutes listening to ... several minutes that led me to grab my computer and start this blog that I've been writing in my head for several months. I'm looking forward to sharing my thoughts with you. With me. With those dark, quiet hours that beg us to think, to be and to write.