I had become proficient in the poetry of acceptance.~Rebecca Woolf (From All Of This)

My sister and niece arrived during a rainstorm. I picked them up at the airport, and rushed to quickly hug them, our faces moist with raindrops and joy to see each other once again. The whole of their visit was marked with platinum skies and unseasonably cool temperatures for March in Charleston. Yet we did not let the weather mar our time. We basked in the fellowship of one another, gathered around the table, burning a candle and feasting on good food and sweet companionship. We talked and laughed, bound by our history and love. And their kind hearts of grace toward me caused me to think of all the sweet acoustics of life that are poured out by God, like that spring rain that wet our faces and...

~Driving down a road with the ocean a stripe of cobalt on the left.

~When someone you love gets well.

~Sunlight streaming in my window and glancing off the purple orchid.

~Sitting on the porch in the early morning, birds chirping, a fresh breeze on my face, the sky smudged with pink. 

~That good feeling after a workout, sweat trickling down the back.

~Toast spread with Nutella.

~Notebooks with lines and those without.

~The scent of jasmine and giant hedges of pink and coral azaleas.

~The ability to keep doing the mundane tasks of everyday living, grateful I can move and hear and bound up the steps.

~Riding on the back of a motorcycle, my arms around my husband's waist, the Lake of Garda spangled with sunlight.

~The poetry of the Psalms.

~Thinking about the words of a hymn--Great is thy faithfulness, O God my father. There is no shadow of turning with thee.

~The marriage dance with Giovanni--an ocean between us, unemployment, employment returned, COVID and deaths and moves and terrible fights and cultural misunderstandings. And still we hold hands and kiss and laugh. Eat good food and savor our coffee together. Still write snail mail on white paper with blue ink. Affix pink stamps.

~Stacks of books and time to read.

~The majesty of Jesus and His beautiful gospel.

~A little brown dog curled around my feet.

~The art of writing. A stalwart and trusty companion.

~That surprise call from someone I've not heard from in a while and decide not to let it go to voicemail.

~Trees swaying in the wind.

~Classical music playing and candles burning on a rainy afternoon, the house clean. No clutter.

~The smell of lavender soap that assails my nose when I walk into the house.

~The peace of Jesus.

~Being alive. Today.