Chapter 18 - Extra SyrupThe Fourth of July weekend arrived.
Outside, the neighborhood was preparing for its annual parade.
Children rode bicycles decorated with flags.
Families gathered on lawns.
Music drifted through the warm summer air.
Inside the kitchen, Sarah placed a plate of pancakes in front of Lily.
Lily stared at it.
Then at her mother.
"Can I have extra syrup?"
Sarah smiled.
"Today?"
Lily nodded.
Sarah laughed.
"Today, and every day."
Lily's smile filled the room.
For Sarah, that sentence meant more than breakfast.
It meant there would be more mornings.
More birthdays.
More school plays.
More arguments over bedtime.
More ordinary days.
The things she once considered boring had become precious.
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She had nearly lost all of them.
Now she intended to cherish every one.
