surprise!

Aug. 7th, 2010 post

sunrise:  5:27

Well. Back on Sutton Island, with all of our children here, plus one, for just a few days. J accompanied me on my sunrise walk this morning. Emily Dickinson’s lines come to mind…

“God’s in his heaven
all’s right with the world!”

The morning light makes everything, and everyone, look extra wonderful.

Glorious walk through the middle of the island, where the green moss reigns supreme amid pin straight, towering pines, and bird cries sound in haunting reverberations.

Then to top it off, I arrived back at the house to hear the phone ringing at 5:45am. What the heck!??

I walked across the porch into the living room. All five kids leaped out -- “SURPRISE! Happy 50th birthday, three weeks early!!” Balloons, streamers, party hats, and a video camera.

On the phone was my older sister, who generally sleeps until 10 or 11 in the morning on a Saturday. More happy birthdays – more phone calls, siblings, parents, cousins and even old friends – all up at an ungodly hour. I am nearly speechless, especially since I know that there is more to come…

What a day, what a place, what a family, what a lucky woman I am.

Seize those moments when all is right with the world.