Morning came early today. Ironically, it was no earlier than any other morning but, after several stress filled days, my eyes felt heavier than usual. However, my heart was singing because I knew that, within a few short hours, I would be on my way to San Diego where I would give my stress wings and let it fly away.

My flight touched down well before noon  today, and it was during our final decent into San Diego that I first caught a glimpse of the ocean, that beautiful vast blanket of blue. My heart leaped, filled with joy and excitement. Then, while lost in my reverie, I began mentally listing the joy-filled moments that had already filled my morning; the same morning that had begun just hours earlier with gritty eyes and tired bones.

In my mind, I retraced my steps and the list grew with each step:

1. My husband, who reached over and touched my arm and whispered “good morning” and asked if there was anything he could do to help before I slipped from between the covers.

2. Then, Sammy, our old Beagle, who greeted me with his big brown eyes filled with love. Though too tired to lift himself from his bed, he was too excited to contain his waggy tail.

3. My sweet, sweet A, who insisted on joining us on the ride out to the airport so she could say goodbye. She awakened without complaint and filled with excitement for me in my “girls’ week o’ fun.”

4. There was Urvek, our new Guide Dog for the Blind puppy, who loves without reservation and brought a smile to many weary travelers at DIA.

And, though there were many more moments of joy that filled my day, I will end this post with this extra special moment in my morning:

5. Seeing my sister’s smile when I came around the corner to baggage claim.

Though I wasn’t planning on following the suggested December NaBloPoMo “Joy” theme, it would seem joy has certainly been following me, reminding me to look and find joy in every day.

Happy Saturday, everyone!