Theme Thursday: Bodies

I don't have a new photo to share today for the Thursday-riffic link-up with Cari Donaldson et.al.  And although I wanted to play along, I wasn't quite sure what kind of picture I could post that would illustrate the very interesting theme for this week: bodies!

I thought, hmmm, should I show you some bathing suit shots of my fifty-something husband and my fifty-something self from our recent trip to San Juan?  No, I decided...no, not a good idea at all.  Because while we do have bodies, they're not exactly--well, never mind about that.

Then I thought, hmmm, what bodies do I know of that actually look cute with little fat rolls on them--and of course, that made me think of my three soft, pink, positively edible little granddaughters.  But I'm trying to keep pictures of them off this blog, for the most part, for privacy's sake.

So I'm posting an old photo of my boys and me from way back in 2007--when aside from the oldest, who had graduated from college the year before and begun his military career, these bodies still spent a good bit of time hanging out in their childhood home...near their mommy, who has always been happiest when they're no more than an arm's length away.  I was always the family picture-taker; but during this Notre Dame football weekend get-together, my husband grabbed my camera and told all the boys to huddle around me and show me some love.  All those bodies squished together, those happy smiles...it made for this great photo, which is to this day my husband's very favorite.

 Where are these bodies right now, you ask?

The oldest is out in CO, where he is stationed in the Army; he's a husband and a father to three little girls under the age of two.  The second oldest lives about an hour away from his dad and me, where he teaches high school math and coaches football.  The third one in line lives and works down in VA, is newly engaged, and will become a married man in December.  Number four is not quite a third of the way through a six-month deployment in Afghanistan.  And the baby left two nights ago for a six-week internship in France (which I wrote about yesterday).  Sometimes, I get panicky at the thought of how scattered about and far apart we all are--at least physically.

What I wouldn't give to have all those bodies--and the beloved souls that reside in them--a whole lot closer to mine.  What I wouldn't give to be able to hug and kiss each one of those "temples of the Holy Spirit" every single day!

[Sigh...]  But you know what they say: If you love somebody, set them free.  If they come back, they're yours.  And these somebodies do keep coming back...so I guess that means that these somebodies are mine.

Now go over to Clan Donaldson and check out some other bodies...or other somebodies...or whatever!