03 February 2012

Seeing things

It's a slow start to our weekend here. I'm sitting in our living room which is lit only by candles. Dennis got home just a few minutes ago and is taking a brief snooze on the couch. Peter is fast asleep in my arms. The older three are watching a Scholastic dvd and Pete Seeger is reading to them in the den. There's a pot roast and potatoes in the oven. It's been unseasonably warm here and I see a bit of a mist is starting to descend.

This week, we received the sad news that a classmate died suddenly. She was 36 with three little girls and a husband who adored her. We all adored her. She was wonderful.

I know it is cliché in times like this to reflect on the brevity of life. But it occurs to me that if I knew this life were to end tomorrow, I'd want to spend it just like this, with eyes wide open to the quiet beauty all around me.