not just a regular day . . . .

 this is not a regular winter; nor is it a regular day.

i was listening to the radio on my way to the office this morning when a song came on the radio ... the chorus of which is ' . . . dance with my father again . . .'. 

it is a song sung by a son, remembering his father and how he use to dance with his mother and he as a child; he is now singing about how sad his mother is, now that his father is dead, and he wants so much just to be able to have his mom dance with his father again, hoping to cheer her; a wish and a prayer.

so, i'm singing along, the romantic in me, when it dawns on me that it would have been my father's 87th birthday today; i am the same age he was when he died.  how ironic is that . . . .

we never do know what time is allotted to us or our  loved ones.

and i am constantly reminded here in santa cruz, to get out and enjoy; get away from my computer and take in the area.

this is one of the most beautiful places on earth, and even though we are seriously talking about water restrictions -- having had only 5 inches of our 30 inches of rain this year -- one cannot help but enjoy wearing short-sleeve shirts in the heart of winter . . .
 

 i mean, honestly, for a community that is supposed to be rainy, foggy, and dreary at this time of the year, irony has dawned upon us; no water, but the ocean! 

and so, here it is:  a little redwood, a surfer, and a wee ship, anchored by the dock of the bay.  santa cruz at it's best in the midst of the worst possible times . . . what more can one do but make the best of it?!

and so, i leave the office after a text message that delights me to know that i will not have to search the parsonage for my opera glasses -- because one does not need to have magnification in order to see one of the other wonders of the world right here in 'my own back yard'!

and really, why travel anywhere else when you can see such wonders as this?!

 ok, seeing a HUGE bumble bee atop a blooming flowing of ice plant might not constitute one of the wonders of the world ... but my being able to take a picture of said bumble bee without getting stung, is!

my elementary school in daly city, thomas edison, was surrounded by ice plant.  we just took it for granted; we climbed on it, tore away patches of it to fling at each other when we were team fighting at recess ... kids stuff.  now i appreciate it, and fathom its ability to hold water and produce such a delicate flower without much rain!

just beyond the shores of west cliff, these reminders of my childhood have followed me into my adulthood; i never could have imagined!

 and yet, another real wonder of this community is that we host a migration area for monarch butterflies.  with the buzzing on the ground, one need only look up into the trees to see a host of hundreds of orange and black fluttering in the trees ... a christmas tree light display could not possibly do it justice!

this particular butterfly was a little out of the migration path ... i had thought, 'wouldn't it be great to get a picture up close and personal?!' ... for the migration area is roped off to keep people like me away from disturbing their rest and relaxation.

but, there always seems to be a non-conformist in the pack, and tuesday was my lucky day!  off by itself, this butterfly found a bit of sun on a tree, just eye level from me as i was walking back to my car ... did i say that i had my convertible top down in the mid-(not so) bleak winter?!

and so, i added additional steps to my pedometer this week, and renewal to my soul.  and i wonder today, about my dad ... might we have enjoyed a bet of a 'get-away' together on tuesday; to enjoy the sights and the unusual weather, even while we would have said, 'even though we need the rain'.

alas, one never knows how much time we have, so we are called upon to enjoy every minute of every moment, and learn to embrace what we are given -- even on this not just a regular day . . . .