Ripe tomatoes

There once was a season of grief that turned into seasons. Seasons turned into years, and then one day I woke up and started to feel the sun on my skin again. I heard the birds sing for the first time in a long time, and noticed their songs more and more each day. The noticing matters.

The grief will always be with me, but there is comfort every time I reach into my pocket to find it, holding onto what was.

It reminds me of love.

It's easy to look back on the time spent blurry-eyed with grief, or the season I was asleep, but what matters more to me now is that I wake up.

So today I did.

I felt the sun on my skin, and heard the birds sing as I sliced these beautiful tomatoes for a dinner with new friends.

They were ripe and juicy and felt like the summer ahead.

A new season.

These are the most delicious tomatoes I've had in a long time.

Today, I'm grateful.

Today, I'm happy to be here.