The moon is so bright that the night now hovers in an eight hour limbo between dusk and dawn. It is gorgeous, but I suppose I should save that eulogy for tomorrow…

Today is happy exhaustion, and I will not allow for a moment of regret over having not thought in terms of words to share during the time spent with dear friends. Instead, I sit here, soaking up silence for the first time since six this morning. Unwinding, little by little. Sipping tulsi infusion. Writing in snippets. Sharing, unadorned.

Mother nature decided to cast a loving light on southern Vermont today, showcasing her in all her glory. Around every turn on every dirt road was a view of mountains or farms or fields of wildflowers… August, here, is bursting with life.

This day gracefully held a kindred spirit and moments of connection, tired but joyful children communing with nature, and a beckoning pond and a grassy field, both ripe with adventures. There were shared meals and laundry, sword battles and a fire. Fifteen hours of life…

Finally, I laid with two small boys curled up against me, begging for a story made up by their mama, who fell asleep happy, just as it tapered, gently, to an ending.

Glorious, I’d say, and all in a single day. Gratitude worthy, and enough to send me scrambling under the covers!