Her feathered landing was as soft and gentle as a lunar astronaut. Her decision-making was much more conclusive and abrupt! Only ten feet from where I stood, a hungry barn swallow planted her feet, hovered over her options for lunch, turned her head this way and then that, with one sweep of her beak…

So many folks, not up before dawn, often miss the soft and dappled light show on the eastern horizon. The sky transitions from a deep grey blue to a brighter and lighter blue. And, when blue cannot hold on any longer, it surrenders to pale and then golden orange.

His khaki shirt boasted salt rings—a crusted residual from perspiration earlier in the day. The center of his back was brown and soaked. I’m sure it was wet under his arms as well, but from my view walking behind him, all I could see was a big wet circle on his lean and leathery upper torso. That dark circle of moisture at my eye level became my target for the day. My grandfather was a hard worker and was showing me how at the same time.

At the dead-end of a rutted and potholed gravel road, I behold the resilient but worn home of my upbringing. The sagging roof, shifting boards, and dormant flowers echo the passage of time, marking the waypoints of my life's journey

From "Sea to shining sea" is more than a line in the song "America the Beautiful." It describes a vastness and invokes awe relative to the beauty of our planet. America and the entire Earth, from "sea to shining sea," truly is wonderful!

A balanced and meaningful life is a symphony. One where we facilitate the harmony of forgiving and thanksgiving, where the heart's melody unfurls, and the soul dances to the rhythm of grace.