Heaven on Earth

Yesterday was a fog-enshrouded and frigid day. The photo below was of the very instant when the fog started to lift. It was spooky, beautiful, and very cold.

K and I took our morning hike, moving like ghosts through a deserted forest and walking like angels atop the crusted snowpack.

The fog seemed to muffle all sound, and that's probably why I accidentally sneaked up on a cow moose during my bike ride later in the day. She was standing quietly next to a small dirt road. At first, she just turned her head enough to watch me in her peripheral vision. I stopped my bike and stood watching her, to see which way she wanted to go. Then, I backed off a little to give her room to move. She pranced away, trotting while kicking her hooves up high in the air. She towered over me so tall that I suspect that her shoulder was higher than my head. In a few seconds, she'd disappeared into the forest, like a beautiful apparition.

Thanks to yesterday's frozen fog, the trees were painted crystal white with hoar frost this morning. It felt like we were hiking through a fragile crystal world that would shatter if I spoke too loudly.

I knew that the frost would disappear as soon as the sun warmed it so K and I hustled to a viewpoint.

While I was taking this photo, K scrambled atop Coyote Rock. I call it that because I spotted a coyote posed on it last winter, surveying the meadows below him. K did the same this morning, like her wild cousin.

This morning felt like paradise on Earth. The beauty around me was breath-taking, yet I knew that it would only remain so spectacular for a brief interlude until the sun warmed up. K and I moved swiftly and happily from one view to another. From the big to the small.

Our hike this morning sums up how I feel about our life now. K is happy, loving, and feeling good. Yet, I am told that this good phase won't last. I don't know when it will end so I am soaking up as much love and life with her as I can. Sometimes, I feel like I'm wearing myself out, never missing a single chance to hike or play or hug with K.

I realized that K and I are having our time of Heaven on this Earth. These days of grace are like a prolonged good-bye and a celebration of our love.

Heaven on Earth.