Some Enchanted Evening

Last night at 9:30, my husband was home from his meetings, my kids were in bed and two of them were actually asleep -- Junior was having one of my favorite summer experiences, reading 'Peter and the Starcatchers' under the covers. I was on my way to our neighborhood grocery store for some ice cream. Bear Claw. Mmmmmm. I walked out of my house, which was a little too chilly with the a/c going, and was enveloped in the warm summer night. I could hear sprinklers going, and smell the slightly damp grassy scent of June. I could see bright stars shining in the sky. I turned off the a/c in the car and rolled down the window. I purposely didn't turn the radio on. The joyous smell of strawberries, $6.99 a flat, greeted me at the store, and I saw a dad and his cub-scout-shirt-wearing son picking out which bag of cherries was best. After I paid for the ice cream, I drove home slowly, taking in all the sights and sounds of summer. I was happy. Happy that my family is together, healthy, and has more good times than bad. Happy that my sweet husband has a job he loves and is good at. Happy that we have a home and can provide for our needs, and a lot of our wants. Our lawn is mostly green, our flowers are blooming, and our vegetables are growing. Joy. I felt loved and embraced by a loving Heavenly Father who knows who I am and wants me to be happy. Life is good. Not always, but a lot of the time. My challenge is to celebrate the times when it is. Not always easy, but when I do, I am even more abundantly blessed.