raking it in...

and so we raked.
and raked.
and raked.

she's elderly, so we helped there.
he's sick, so we helped there.
could we do them both in time?

trying to beat the rain, running inside between jobs
for some food, check business, and back out.

and it was so fun.
cause we had to hurry cause of the rain, we had no time for this anyway,
and we knew it was the thing to do. the rushing added to the fun.

there was leaf tossing here and there,
blasts in the face from the leaf blower,
and elaborate tosses of tarps.

and towards the end, i wasn't the only one slowing down.
even zakk was showing signs of wear.

i saw the biggest spider i ever saw in one yard,
and a black widow with one heck of an hour glass in another.
i tossed a little snake outta harms way, and wondered when i
got inside what things i carried with me without even knowing it.

and i laughed more, smiled more, and felt more alive than i have in ages.

and here's the coolest part.......every time i looked up at noah or zakk,
i was so glad to be out there with them. the smiles that passed between us,
the laughter, the just being a team.....it was absolutely being a family in
the truest sense. i knew it. and it felt great.