Standing at the Trailhead of Winter

I awoke very early this morning, around 4 am, and turned towards the window. Through the lace curtains I could see two very bright "stars" in the southeastern sky. I got out of bed and parted the curtains to get a better view. I knew the "stars" were more likely planets because of how bright they were and how they didn't "twinkle" like stars do. The stars . . . incredible. In the city, I would go to the hill near the apartment and stargaze, but I always felt a tad disappointed in not being able to really see the stars. This morning, I stood at the window for some time, taking in the view. I could see the stars so clearly. I had the thought of going outside to lie down in the grass to take in the beauty of the early morning sky, but I decided to snuggle back under the covers for a couple more hours. Curious about the celestial bodies I had seen at 4 am, I did some research and found a site that gives the night sky for the date and time submitted. A...

I am fully in my new home. And every time I walk through the door, I smile and say hello to my new surroundings. I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to make this move, and I know without a doubt that I made the right decision in leaving a place that was exactly what I needed when I was facing a bad time in my life. I truly believe each step that I've made over the last three years has been guided by a force way bigger than I am or ever will be. It's a bit uncanny how quickly all of this happened. I started looking for a place in December, thinking my lease would be up at the end of May and it might take three or four months to actually find the house I wanted, get the loan in place, and move. I had already spent some time looking at houses online, knowing approximately what my top end needed to be for me to feel comfortable with a mortgage. I knew the small towns I wanted to check out, too, so I spent a couple of days making a list of houses I wanted to look at. I...