Day 650: Floored

Joanna Brown 

This one's been a long time coming. Every day, I savour the words I'll write when I'm bowled over by beauty or tickled by prettiness. Every day, as I watch the willow's fringes drip heavier with leaves and reach towards the water, or watch the opening of folded leaves to the wet air, or revel in the little celebrations of colour smiling their way onto twig tips and joying up the air, I want to write, and then off I go being all busy and the words sit in my mind and in my mouth and never here. 

The pond is a marvellous place to marvel this time of year. Everything's bursting to blossom forth - the growth compactly packed into every branch and bud is almost tangible - some just can't wait and grace us with hazes of green and pink and sun-faced yellow and others bide their time. I'm going away for nearly two weeks. My children will have grown and flown the nest by the time I'm back. I'll have to partake of the Danish forest's awakening, and the lapping of the cold Nordic waters. 

There is a backlog of gratitude longer than my heart can stand, so I'll sit and bless the bliss of it silently, without even attempting to do it justice here. I do give thanks, though, for the deep, rich opening in my life, this year especially. Esther Lilley Mangala Many-names Palmer Harvey full of love, thank you for making me laugh on a course over ten years ago now, and for becoming such a pillar of love and conscious living in my life. Thanks for trusting me with your most precious and beloved little bear, for the role your fully grown bear has also played in this opening up, and for leading the way in loving, conscious, respectful parenting. I am drenched in awe and love, and I am honoured to be your family's Tante Hibou.

And sweet sister Ruth, thank you, thank you, thank you, for music and humility, for angel wings and wicked giggling, for inspired flamingoes with wings and springs, and for openness and love and aaaaaalllll the rest. 

There is so much more to thank, so many more beautiful people to embrace. Be loved and  though I thank you through the tips of my fingers and the dancing of my thoughts, know that it comes deep from the centre of my being.