Our current tablecloth is an impressionistic melange of harvest colors suggesting autumn leaves. As Mother is unable to count an impressionistic melange, she has taken to repeating counting rhymes from her childhood.

This morning, during coffee, counting along the fingers of each hand:

“One, two, three, four, five – I caught a hare alive. Six, seven, eight, nine, ten – I let him go again!” And then a big smile, pleased with herself for remembering, and also just happy to be alive and enjoying her morning coffee.

It made me smile, too. I am also happy to be alive and that we can enjoy our morning coffee together.

Shortly, I’ll be putting out the new Halloween tablecloth, and she will have something new to count at dinner.