“Joy is a deeply felt contentment that transcends difficult circumstances and derives maximum enjoyment from every good experience.”
~ Charles R. Swindoll
He’s on the road before six. Our son heads for home loaded with canned goods from my kitchen and produce from my garden, leaving behind memories of a good weekend visit.
“Back to bed with coffee?” I suggest to Gerry as I close the front door.
“Exactly what I was thinking.” He heads to the kitchen to prepare two cups.
We spend the next hour reading in companionable silence as the sun rises, orange from the smoke, and day begins. Eventually we rise to begin the morning’s work. I hear the vacuum running downstairs as I step out of the shower and feel blessed.
Hours later, hot and sweaty, we sit down to a light lunch and a game of Qwirkle that ends unsatisfactorily in a tie. We are mildly competitive and Gerry notes the score on a sheet of paper we’ve been using since the start of the year to keep track of wins and losses.
After lunch, he heads out to the gym and to meet a friend for coffee. The afternoon stretches out with possibility in front of me. I tend to some administrative things in my woman cave while my camera distracts me from the side of my desk.
Finally, business tended to, I grab my camera and 60mm macro lens and head outside to look for magic. There, huddled over my front flower bed to cast a shadow since it’s midday and the light is too strong, I find it.
And I am content.

I never heard of Qwirkle. Word game?
Qwirkle is a colour and shape game. We play it almost every day around here. It’s fun for all ages too. Our grandkids have played since they were very small and Gerry’s parents played into their 90s. Here’s a link to more info: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qwirkle
I have admired Chuck Swindoll’s wisdom over the years, and it looks like we may have to practice the truth in this quote as Hurricane Irma heads toward Florida.
Ah yes, praying for Florida and those already affected by Harvey. Terrrible terrible.