“The View” Chapter 33

I open my eyes as the sun warms my face. Laura opens the shades and I gaze upon my backyard through the windows that surround me.

I’ve been living in my dining room for the last two months as we wait for the construction to be completed. As much as I want to get back to our new normal, I will miss waking up to my current morning view.

Winter has turned into spring and the trees have dawned their leaves. Life has come back to our yard in all its glory. The very first thing I do every morning is pray to God; thanking Him for one more day. I thank God for waking me up to see the birds, trees, sky, and everything else He has given us. I spend time praying and reading while the sun shines on me and the sounds of the birds surround me.

When I look out my window, I see the large Beech tree standing a 100 feet tall and 50 feet wide, casting its branches over my yard. In the winter, its grey limbs look lifeless. The only display of life is the squirrels and birds who use the tree to move from one place to another. At night during the winter months, I can look through the bare branches and see the moon and the stars in the sky. As spring approached, the great Beech awakens from its winter nap with leaf buds. The pale peach buds open slowly, exposing the pollen that soon filled the air with a yellow dust. As the leaves continue to grow, they hide the birds and squirrels that I was easily able to see before. The night sky is now shut out by the leaves that block the view. The grey and lifeless tree is fully awake with its bright green leaves providing safety and shade for the my family and the animals when summer arrives.

Out my other window is a Kikuzakura Cherry tree we planted four years ago after seeing the Cherry Blossoms in DC. The first few years it was small with few flowers, but over the years our tree has grown up to the windows of the second floor. As I watch her wake up through the stages of spring, she started with buds that quickly transitioned through the five blooming stages. Each flower with countless petals covered our tree with beautiful pink pompom-like flowers. I woke up everyday for two weeks with this view until the flowers gave way to the green leaves that fill her branches now.

My Rosebud tree has also brightened my days with her rosy pink flowers while the other various plants come back to life in our back yard. I see the animals twitter around creating nests and new lives. Laura regularly opens the windows to let the fresh spring air in and I breath it up like I’m taking my last breath.

The seasons have changed every year for the past seven years we have lived here, but this year is different. This year I wake up seeing clearly and thanking God for the beauty around me. This year may be the last year I see the transition, so these views are even more stunning. This year I look out and think about the seasons I've taken for granted in the past. This year I reflect back and think about all the days I did not pay attention to the gifts that have provided me beauty, protection, and LIFE.

Don’t take for granted the view surrounding you. Don't let life cloud your view so that you miss the beauty that surrounds you. Take time to slow down and breathe in the air on a spring morning.

My eyes are WIDE open now.

For the first time, I'm truly seeing everything around me. I thank God for the gift of each day and the beauty around me.

The day the shades finally close and the sun no longer shines on my face, I know I will be at peace because I took the time to enjoy and appreciate The View