Life is beautiful

This summer, the song "Life is Beautiful" by the Afters was playing in my head almost constantly. This summer was filled with moments of light and love and laughter that will be stored in my heart forever. Not like pictures -- silent, flat and unmoving. These moments are like snow-globes -- colorful, three-dimensional, and come alive with a little stirring.

This was a summer of change and transition. When I came home for Christmas break, all I wanted was for things to be as they were when I left. And for one perfect month, they were. This summer was not like that. I encountered many changes and endings. But I found that it was not bad. It was immeasurably good.

It was a summer of easy reconnecting with some, and of elbow grease just to talk with others. It was a summer of carefree days and long, sleepless nights. A summer of work and play. A summer of remembering, forgetting, and looking forward to what is to come. It was a summer of holding on when everything in me screamed to let go, and of letting go even when I thought it would break my heart. It was a summer of joyful reunions and painful goodbyes. A summer of questions, answers, and resolution. A summer of finally acknowledging that some things had to change, and of promising that some things never would.

It was a summer of closing a door I had been fighting to keep open... but not locking it.

There were so many moments where I suddenly realized that, in spite of everything, we really do have it all. These are the times that make us feel alive, and make us realize that life truly is beautiful.