Nonna is visiting for her springbreak. This year, she left Papa at home to work, so it is just the “girls!” After a long journey north, one which we shared with lots of other travelers and their cars, we decided to grab a quick and light snack before venturing home to start preparing for another week.

My daughter snagged a high table in our favorite seating area, and we mentally and physically relaxed into the familiar and the knowledge that the wonderful trip had come to an end.

My daughter looked at the chair next to her, “It feels like Papa is here.”

“He is here in spirit,” I commented handing her the phone so she could call and text him.

Family isn’t about physical presence as much as it is about that feeling in our hearts.