Tonight

I walked down the hallway after washing my hair and to make sure everyone in the house was still awake before I started blow drying it. Curiously, the back door was open and a bag of trash sat idly on the porch within my view. I figured that mom or DeAnna had taken it out and got distracted, so I stepped outside.

A warm breeze met my soaking hair and I breathed it in deeply. I love the air our here. I never feel like I'm stuggling to breathe, like in the West. The high, dry altitudes usually contribute to that. Out here the air is fresh and full of moisture. I almost feel as if I am breathing through osmosis.

As my eyes adjusted to the dark I saw that my mom was sitting on the stairs, staring into the glorious night sky. The moon came out for a visit, showing it's crescent face. I sat down beside her in silence as we listened to the frogs singing down in the creek beds, with all of God's majesty and wonder shining above our heads and laying beneath our feet.

I wonder how long it will be before I'm back. I'm leaving to go back out west for the summer, see if I can get a sit down job and put some time into school. I wonder if I'll be back before summer has ended or if it won't be till Christmas.

I was thinking about that as I was sitting there. The moon kept shining, the frogs kept singing and the breeze was a balm to my soul.

I heard something behind us and turned around......

and shrieked.

Yes. I shrieked.

And I scared it.

Just a little 'coon sniffing out his dinner in our trash.

It scared me too.

I don't ever want to forget this night.