Not a day arrives that I don’t wake up (thankfully!) and feel gratitude for breathing, opening my eyes, and being able to get out of bed. This past weekend, I was especially spilling over with thanks. You know how the simplest, most pure things in life bring the most joy?
My 16th birthday was last Saturday. For the very first time since last August, I did not lift a finger to do homework… not even a pinky! The weather was something out of a Weather Perfection Catalog and I basked in the warmth of the weather and the love around me. My entire family went for a morning walk around the bike path and Gramma and Poppy joined us poolside in the early afternoon for a BBQ feast of steak, crab, and scallops. Mom baked a Lemon Chiffon Cake and served it with ice cream, whip cream and fresh blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries. Yes, she knows what I like!
Yum! Anyone hungry?
In the early evening, we went to the Shell Beach tidepools. I love living near the beach and it never gets old to watch the sun set with the waves crashing nearby. Spiritual renewal is touchable at times like this.
My brothers, Nicholas and Dean, gave me a present of Dueling Floaties with squirt guns mounted on them for fun summer pool games ahead. I already tried one out yesterday– squirting my dad while he tried to relax in the sun. I think those babies are going to be lots of fun!
Melinda Marchiano 
Leave a Reply