The sun is out this morning, sharing the sky with some high clouds. The temperature is already 80, at 7:30 am, and will hit 90 they say, the norm for this time of year. Yesterday it was 95.

We took a lay day for Father’s Day, and just rested. We went to see Dan’s mother for a couple hours, we went to watch one of our good friends play music at an outdoor restaurant for a couple hours. The night before we had spent some time in the hot tub and the pool at Dan’s, late at night. It was a welcome rest, for 24 hours, after the emotional shock of my friend’s son’s death. My stomach had been churning since I found out, and I found myself shaking and crying every other minute. Yesterday I guess I had the time to absorb it more, and now feel like I can go up north and be strong for my friends.

It’s so wonderful to be with a man who gets it, gets me, and can care for others. He’s steady, he takes any drama out of a situation, he cuts through things to the truth easily, and often. He chooses to behave in ways that honor himself, and others. Such a blessing in my life. He makes it easy for me to love him.

There are cactus flowers on the 20’ tall cactus in my back yard. I’ve never seen them before. They bloom at night, and close up for the day, but once in a while they have not completely closed up when I am sitting having my coffee. Every morning I vow to go and put a flashlight on them at night, to see them in full bloom. And then forget, when nighttime rolls around.

They are like some people, whose beauty shows when the darkness is on the rest of us. Dan is one of those people, I think. Though, maybe not, because his inner beauty shows often, day or night. But the thing is that it still shines even in the darkest of times.

I guess I’m waxing poetic about him because I am leaving in the early morning tomorrow for 5 days, for a sorrowful purpose, and his love for me, and for my friends, gives me strength. Feel so blessed that we found each other, so grateful all the chaos that punctuated my life is well in the past.

As I prepare today to be with my friends, I will be ever mindful of the blessings that have been so abundantly bestowed on me.