Today was such a beautiful day, I knew I had to get out and enjoy it with Emmie. I’ve been something of a hermit for these last 5 months or so, between being massively pregnant, having a newborn, and recovering from surgeries and treatments, not to mention the very hot summer and early fall we had, and my new-found fear of the sun.

But today wasn’t too hot, so I slathered on in enough sunscreen to feel safe being outside. Emmie and I laid on a blanket on the grass outside our apartment in the shade of an aspen whose leaves were slowly turning from green to gold. She kicked her legs and talked to the tree while I admired her eyelashes and kissed her fat little cheeks. She held my finger with her tiny hands and looked all around. I laid down with her to look at the world from her perspective and was struck by the beauty I found through her eyes. A brick wall bathed in the late afternoon sun. Leaves lit from behind, glowing and shimmering. Grasses gently moved by the breeze. It was all so new to her and utterly captivating.

Laying there, I felt completely at peace. I thought to myself, “This is exactly where I should be.”