Afterglow

As Mothers' Day draws to a close, I look out my window. Across the street, the houses are bathed in sunset's afterglow, such a magical phenomenon to see. My very first experience of this was breathtaking -- rolling hills in South Africa bathed in reflected pink light. So even if we're already experiencing the kind of dip in temperature associated with the days of the ice saints, I'm feeling the warmth.

For me the day has meant quite a bit of musing about what my own mother meant to me, and reflecting on her long life with much gratitude. She would have been 99 on the 15th of May, but passed over a month before her 98th birthday. How very, very fortunate I was to have her gentle yet strong presence in this world for so many decades. And still I sense her sheltering love. So it seems fitting to do her honour, to keep her memory dear and be inspired by her example.