Warmest Regards

Standing on the bank of a scenic river, I noticed a woman sitting alone on the bank while she half-heartedly threw her fishing line into the river.

I smiled at her and she smiled back. It was a sad smile that never quite reached her eyes.

"I just watched my husband die," she said. "I held his hand and looked in his face as he took his last breath."

I told her I understood the depth of her emotions and knew how hard it must be for her.

The older I get, the more I appreciate the beauty of life.

Lately, I'm making even more of a conscious effort to soak up the beauty of my world. I'm filled with an intense appreciation for what I call the smorgasbord of life.

A food smorgasbord offers so many tempting offerings. It's impossible to eat everything and we sometimes come away regretting that we ate too much.

That's not the case with the smorgasbord of life. While we can't sample everything, the more we do, the more we appreciate what is before us.

One news item on the lighter side getting a lot of attention this week is headlined: What age are we happiest?

How would you answer that question?

I tried answering the question before I clicked on the web site to see the results of the recent study. It was a fun question to ponder. (So much better than why do I owe so much income tax.)

At first, I thought my answer would be the magical time when I held our first-born child in my arms.

I was so intrigued by that little bundle of joy that I wouldn't put her down even when she was sleeping.

Do you remember the simple joys of childhood?

Do you remember lying on your back and watching the clouds float by?

Do you remember the way freshly mowed grass smelled when you were lying on the ground?

Do you recall the smell of earth that was one of the perfumes of childhood?

Maybe you liked to dig in dirt. Maybe you rolled in it. Or, maybe you were just content to sit on the ground and be aware of every smell, every sound the way the sun felt on your face and the way a breeze tickled you.

Remember those days?