A Walk in the Park

I remember when I first stepped foot in Alaska in my pink sundress, totally oblivious to the incredible beauty that existed in this world.

The awe that I felt when I first saw the mountains here is indescribable for this english-deficient math-nerd. I will never forget the feeling, the smell, the chill, the friends... seeing those mountains was as moving to me as the death of our President in 1963, or the Challenger disaster in '86 was to many others; I imagine it is one of the memories that I will hold with me forever.

I remember walking out of Wal-Mart heading to the bus station thinking how lucky I was to be able to come out of such an ugly, awful place, and see such an awesome view. I remember promising myself that I would never become jaded to the beauty in my life and always appreciate our "city skyline."

So, six years later almost to the day, as I had my back to the range of mountains that surrounds my town, I was thinking of all kinds of random things.... the cabin, my dad, our upcoming Memorial Day camping trip.... but failed to think of many other important things. It wasn't until I took a seat to watch my grown-up 1-year-old go down the slide all by herself, that I was gently reminded to appreciate each day that I am blessed to be my daughter's mommy. Luckily, being grateful in a place like Valdez is a walk in the park, especially on days like this one.

I don't think that my dad ever took any of his good fortune for granted, and I hope that, as my turn to live continues and his has ended, I can continue to learn from him and the short-but-full life that he lived.