Beauty

picture found here

The weather in Alabama this winter has been decidedly weird. As in, freezing in the morning and at night and then spring-like warmth throughout the day. Flowers are all confused and trying to bloom, and I'm trying to keep myself from getting spring fever waaaay too early.

After my weekly glorious Sunday afternoon nap yesterday, I sat down on the couch with Gilbert and looked outside to see the most gorgeous late afternoon sunlight spreading out over the yard - you know, the kind that no picture could do justice to - and decided that I couldn't stay inside anymore.

So I grabbed my Kindle and headed across the street to Starbucks, ordered a salted caramel mocha (the best coffee they've ever offered there), and took my sweater-clad self out to the tables outside to sit and read. Unfortunately, there were two little girls sharing the space with me (no idea where their parents were) who were intent on squealing and ruining my contemplative mood, but I had my iPod, so I popped my earbuds in and listened to this soundtrack while I read.

I had a hard time keeping my mind on my book. I kept looking up to see swallows playing in the tree next to me, happy couples leaving hand-in-hand with to-go coffee cups, dried leaves skittering across the concrete...

As Leonardo DiCaprio says to Kate Winslet in "Titanic," I've always been more of an "indoor girl," but sometimes - sometimes - the beauty of all of God's creation floors me, and even I want to just bask in it.