Sam's Healed, Emily's Healing, I'm Getting There

First stop of this winter's trip revealed

This morning holds the kind of summer cool that makes you wish the season stretched on. It throws me back into the innocence of childhood when my first thought upon waking was, "What fun awaits today?" Bike riding, backyard baseball, hide and sick, playing in the woods with my friends—that was heaven. The first day of school seemed like forever away. These kind of days have a way of bringing me back to those Norman Rockwell memories when life was simple.

I hope to never outgrow that boy who lingers somewhere in my depths and informs me of what is most important.

The air is filled with birdsong and sweet and sultry scents; the grass is damp with the dew. The blossoms of the milkweed plants have fallen, but the pods are growing. Although we no longer get bears in our backyard (still a curiosity), down through the woods on the short stretch by the river, there are many signs of bear activity. Knowing they are close heartens me, and my thoughts always go to Aragorn. The rivers are flowing b…