Opposing forces

It's spectacular outside today. The sky is its most beautiful shade of blue. The sun is shining brightly, sparkling as it hits the just-turning leaves. There's a cool, but not chilly, breeze.

It's totally unsettling.

It's unsettling, of course, because nine years ago today was a day just like this. I drove the same streets, walked the same paths, and soaked in the glory of the same sort of beautiful day with a heaviness that my heart had never known before. The parallels outside today make the painful memories of 9/11 even more acute.

And yet, despite the painful memories, there is no denying that today is a spectacular, glorious, gift-from-above day. It's a day that demands appreciation and gratitude.

I'm guest-posting today, as I do on the eleventh of every month, over at Hopeful Parents, and my post takes a deeper look at the kind of dynamic tension that the opposing forces of today's weather create for me. I hope you'll click here to read it.

In the meantime, Bud and I are off to revel in this glorious day.