It was a day in late Spring that felt like a day in early Summer. The sun had risen in the morning and the temperatures were rising into the eighties. The sky was blue sprinkled with a few white clouds here and there. Golden sunlight was falling on the earth making the green leaves of the trees glow. Outside the songs of a dozen different birds filled the air and those that weren’t singing were skillfully and expertly building their nests.

As I opened my back door and walked on my deck I stepped over our black cat snoozing in the sun. The smell of sweet clover filled the air. I could see the neighborhood Rhododendron bushes were in full bloom too with pink and purple flowers. And as I looked out on the meadow behind my house I could see what looked like a million yellow buttercups in bloom.

Later as the day warmed our cat moved her napping spot to the shade of the Maple tree behind our house. I decided to take a walk with the warm sunshine and gentle breeze as my companions. I breathed in deep the smell of the clover in the air and got down on my knees to smell the special fragrance of the buttercups and dandelions as well. I wished I had done more of this when I was younger. This day felt like such a special gift. I didn’t want to waste a moment of it. Finally as the day turned to night the bird songs were replaced by the music of a million crickets singing. The stars shined joyously in the sky and I could see the smiling face of the man in the moon looking down upon me. My heart felt so full of appreciation. I wanted to say a prayer of gratitude to God for this day but in the end only said: “Thank You!” over and over.

Each day here is a gift, given to us by a Love beyond our comprehension. Do your best to enjoy them all. Do your best to appreciate them all. Thank God for each and every day you get here. And live them with all the love, laughter, joy, kindness, and goodness that you can.