A warm embrace

Last summer when we were spending time at our friends' cottage on St. Joseph Island, we all became attached to a particular throw that was draped across the couch there. The blanket was thick and as soft as you can imagine, with faux fur on one side and a generous plush on the other. We nicknamed the blanket "Big Iris", because lying under it was like being curled up near our enormous, silky, friendly cat who is never far from anyone's side at home. We would often find the boys tucked under Big Iris as they read in the mornings, and in the evenings when the air was chilly, all four of us would huddle under its welcome warmth while we talked and laughed together.

While I was shopping recently for decorative items for our basement redo project, I came across a Big Iris look-alike blanket and knew we had to have it for our rec room. I brought it home, took the tags off, washed it and fluffed it up beautifully in the dryer, and laid it across the back of the newly assembled sectional one afternoon this week. I then waited happily to witness the boys' reactions when they discovered we had a Big Iris of our own.

It wasn't the boys who found Big Iris first, though; it was the real Iris. I think she is in love.

We'll be making room for one more under Big Iris in the evenings now.

It feels this week as though the whole world could do with being wrapped in the embrace of a warm blanket. Let's all remember that small acts of love can bring great comfort.  xo