A room with a view.

Looking out the window, I can see the Statue of Liberty, the World Financial Center and the beauty of the NYC skyline. What’s most beautiful however is what’s inside this little room.   Kate, and I are here in NYC to have some laughs and escape the boys.  It’s a weekend of celebrating sisterhood. We’ll see a show with my sister-in-law and her sister flanked by some shipping in SOHO as we exhale in pure bliss. Kate sleeps next to me in this trundle bed and I feel I like I stepped back into a childhood sleepover as we stayed up late watching romantic comedies and talking into the wee hours. I opened my eyes and the view is truly unbelievable looking at out at this downtown scene.  As I gaze around the room, I see something so much more profound though. Among the concrete jungle outside, this little room contains the heart and soul of a beautiful family. Somehow I see 4 lives defined to their very essence as I graze its perimeter. An entire story is told here. Patti has so well removed the clutter in her life and managed to showcase their most important memories in this tiny space. I can learn from her as she lives without the extras and gets to the root of things.  They have moved around a lot and the extra junk is gone but a few poignant artifacts. The boys names hang on the wall. A model airplane flies over my head; a gift from my brother. Trophies of their championship ways are on a little shelf to help remind them to work hard, while a citizenship award hangs reminding them to be good. Cards from friends, a pine cone from a special hike, a hand-crafted paper cut out flower, hand prints framed on a wall, a pillow made by an aunt and a hand written poem define the space. A cross that I remember from my brother’s childhood sits in the corner, while a hooked rug from their early marriage depicts Nantucket, a place Patti has always loved.  It is the picture of good parenting and a loving home. This is no Pottery Barn showroom trying to be something it’s not. There is no pretension here, just beauty and the miracle of love.