300 days of beauty, day 6

My brother and I took a long Christmas day walk down memory lane. We covered near every inch of our childhood neighborhood, recalling neighbors and stories and commenting about how it all looks different from our adult eyes. This picture is of our childhood backyard, our stomping grounds, literally. Officially named "the Canyon" we spent hours upon hours in this scrub-oak wonderland.

This rock was named "Smile Rock" because of face-like indentations on the front. Our pine tree we climbed so often has since died, and many of our scrub-oak caves have been removed to cut down on fire-hazards. In spite of this, it felt familiar, comforting. This Christmas day we saw countless bucks, many still sparring and a bit aggressive (we tried to not make eye contact and walk briskly past them with our two dogs who joined us on our memory pilgrimage). We avoided cactus and piles of deer poop, and we wondered if we should go pay our respects to Muffin's grave...our cocker spaniel who is buried in the Canyon. We laughed about this and were curious if the irises that were planted on top of her grave still bloomed in the spring.

The memories were pleasant, and more than that, the time with my brother was sweet as always. Of all the many beautiful gifts I have been given, my brother sits very far at the top.

wonder and awe, dolphins and dandelions

"He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed."

~Albert Einstein

D standing on the flight deck of the USS Yorktown, looking out over Charleston Harbor

My children have gifted me many countless gifts, the non-material kind. One of the greatest is allowing me to experience "wonder and awe." They get so excited about the world around them. Every insect, every flower, construction sites, beautiful buildings, springtime birds, fluffy snowflakes and fuzzy cattails. If they see dolphins in a harbor, pet a stingray, or are surrounded by sea turtles, the reaction is exponentially greater.

Dolphins! D saw them first from the USS Yorktown.

Cooper River Bridge, Charleston...we never tired of the view or the bridge crossings. Beautiful.

They speak in exclamation marks. I will so miss it when they don't, at least not quite the same way.

 

I savor the beauty around me, this is not usually a struggle for me. But with my kids, life is more magnified, like the prisms Pollyanna hung in windows to create rainbows that sparkled on every surface.

And I will miss dandelions. Belle has spotted the first dandelions this week. My counters and kitchen table are decorated with vase upon vase of these yellow beauties. I'm constantly hearing exclamations of "Dandelions! Dandelions!" as she sprints to collect each and every one.

Some day dandelions will be a weed, but now they are a spring jewel. I will miss the dandelion bouquets, but I will enjoy each offering in this season.