Woke at 7:30am – my normal time – not by an alarm, just my natural clock. I’ve decided, as I have many times before, to start keeping journal entries. My goal is to write short ‘musings’ on a particular subject at least once a week (every Sunday?). We’ll just have to see how long it will last…

Today, I woke before anyone else and was able to make coffee and breakfast and enjoy some quiet time alone. It was short lived. I got through the first page of the paper before Ella (4yo) got up. She joined me on the couch and we huddled together next to the open window and listened to the soft spring rain and felt the cool breeze on our faces. Birds started showing up at the bird feeder right outside our window so we decided to try and capture some pictures of some of them. I set up my camera on a tripod and we waited. We snapped a few photos and got a few keepers (see below).

Lazy Sunday mornings are fantastic, but add a cool springtime shower and Mother Nature and they become truly magical. Personally, sharing that moment with my daughter was as close to Heaven that anyone could ever be.

My greatest hope is that on my impending deathbed, I will remember moments of my life like this and know that I lived a truly happy and fulfilling life. If I can remember moments like this these, dying will be so much easier. Everything dies, but simple moments like this morning make life totally worth all the tragedy and pain.