This Magic Moment

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

It is morning, and I am at one of my favorite places in the whole wide world. It is October and pumpkin festival time: the Arboretum is just chock full of gourds and pumpkins of every size, shape, and color. I walk around taking pictures, appreciating the artistry of the pumpkin carvers, noticing the colors, feeling the chill in the air.

The lily pond calls to me, as it does to so many. One morning this week, I saw two young women - painters - sitting on the ground by the lily pond, attempting to capture its riches on canvas. And so the lily pond casts its spell. The lilies only have a few more weeks. I am feeling wistful. I can hardly bear to let them go.

I am fortunate to be here to see this scene, and I do not take it for granted. I stow it away in my heart of hearts. I take many pictures. A pink lily is opening its heart to the morning sun. A tall potted palm behind the lily pond is reflected like a green jewel on its waters. And for one more moment - this magic moment - the lilies bloom, and summer reigns.

The soundtrack: The Drifters, with Ben E. King on lead, with This Magic Moment.