Everyday Rainbows

In the crabby-quiet of post-care-pick-up, I pulled into the gas station to fill up the minivan. As the door dinged open, Claire piped from the back, "Can we get a car wash?"

"Sure!" I offered, welcoming the spark of interest in her cold-fatigued eyes and celebrating - irrationally - the 10 cent discount on gas.

As we pulled up to the wash, Jenna voiced her protest, "Don't want to go car wash! I scared," only to be met with Claire's maternal, "Don't be scared, Jenna. Just hug Hop."

"Okay, Care," Jenna murmured around the baba we tell the world is only for bedtime, hugging her bunny blanket close.

"Mom, I've got Moo too. And I bet Will will like it. I'll make sure he's not scared," Claire promised from her backseat perch.

Squeals accompanied the green light and the whir of machinery.

"What's that noise?"
"What's that smell?"
"Ooh! There's the rainbows!"
"Mom! It's a car dryer - just like a hair dryer!"
"Will likes it! He likes it, Mom!"
"Can we do a car wash tomorrow?"

I smiled in the rearview mirror at my chirpy passengers. My little people were coming back to me.

"Mom! We made our own rainbows!" Claire cheered, accompanied by echoey-Jenna's "'bow, Mommy!"

"We did, didn't we?" I said, negotiating my way into traffic. We did, didn't we?

Everyday rainbows. They're there, even when I'm not looking.

Thank goodness my kids usually are.