Another beautiful turquoise sky courtesy of Father Sky this morning. Mr. Waning Gibbous Moon was still halfway awake when I walked Penelope, hanging high in the heavens so handsome against the dark blue sky. I ate my bagel perched in the swing while Kat and Penelope napped. Lots of birds on the feeders. The sunflowers are so pitiful, their heads hanging over, their blooms no longer glorious. But the birds are enjoying their seeds, frolicking around the tall brown stalks, pulling the seeds out of the dried blooms, singing happy songs. So many butterflies today, too — Monarchs, Cloudless Sulfurs, American Painted Ladies, and Swallowtails — all performing their dance recitals on the zinnias’ colorful blooms, tap dancing and pirouetting on their tiny black legs, their wings magnificent costumes. They’ve mezmorized me all afternoon.

Heard this sentence on a movie today. “You can live without a mother and father but not without the earth. Been pondering on this today. The earth is referred to as Mother Earth because it gives us the necessities to live — air, water, food — just like a mother when she nurtures and takes care of her children. I love the Navajo creation story of the Great Spirit creating Father Sky and Mother Earth and all life springing from their union. Looking at the horizon in all directions we see the sky and earth always joined together.

Mother Earth is nature personified, feminine and nurturing, using her watercolors to enhance God’s creations, painting the beautiful sunsets and the songbird wings. Father Sky is the god of the heavens, sketching the sky each day using his box of chalk pastels to color the heavens, rendering the clouds, sending the rain and thunder. I love to imagine them as alive and working together to make the world wondrous. Aways wondered if Mother Earth is jealousy of the sun as she walks down the horizon each night with Father Sky. We give mothering qualities to Mother Earth but the sun sustains life on Earth with light and heat and energy. Anyway…

Been reading in a few quote books today. Maya Angelou says, “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” I actually closed the book after that quote and thought about some of the moments in my 68 years that left me breathless, moments of joy and moments of sorrow — a plane ride for the first time heading to London, England and the views of the clouds out the plane window, the first time Chief told me he loved me, getting married, births of my nieces and nephews, holding my children and grandchildren at their births, first time Thomas said mama, heartbroken seeing my mama and my daddy in their caskets, learning of my daughter’s death, losing my breath at Chief’s bedside as he drew his last breath, Alexander’s illness and recovery, a promise ring on a charm bracelet from high school, seeing an indigo bunting on a bird feeder, my first big ripe tomato in my garden after Chief died, a magnificent sunset over the ocean, a counter full of pint jars of homemade jelly, a cedar Christmas tree decorated with glass balls and colored lights, peddling off on a unicycle for the first time, a medal from All State Band, a little flock of chickens on my first Mother’s Day, the beauty of South Dakota’s colorful Badlands out a plane window, compliments on my blog, a Tiffany’s sterling silver cuff bracelet engraved “With love from Chiefy.” Guess I better stop listing but I’ll wake at midnight and want to add things to the list but I’ll refrain from editing then.

These breathtaking moments are what make life a memorable journey. We should be thankful for all experiences as we travel through life, even those moments of sorrow that inevitably interrupt life. Sorrowful moments come about because God gave us the ability to love and love will always be mixed with joy and sorrow. Without sadness, we may not fully appreciate the moments of joy and gratitude that bring great happiness into our lives.

After Chief died I try to find a small happy moment in each day — a beautiful songbird, a tiny exquisite wildflower, a letter in the mail, a phone call from a friend — reminders that life is glorious and we can keep on traveling through life without those we love with us. We travel in peace knowing we’ll be reunited with our loved ones in heaven. The Lord has blessed us all. Let’s bless God and thank him through our prayers. And let us all be a blessing to others.

“Just to be is a blessing. Just to live is holy.” — Abraham Joshua Heschel