The path going up the hill is not steep, so we are strolling rather than climbing.  You are dancing a few steps ahead of me, and I am thoroughly enjoying the wonderful childlike happiness shown by your actions.

 

As we continue upward, the terrain becomes more mountain-like, but it still is not difficult to manage comfortably.  We are walking side by side now, perhaps a little more slowly, but only because we are enjoying ourselves and the atmosphere so much.  Rounding a bend, we spot a sort of plateau - a wide ledge at the side of this beautiful mountain - and without speaking, we both automatically sit, as if on command.

 

There are clear, blue skies and white, fleecy clouds all around us.  Our ledge is covered with lush mountain greenery, but every so often, a patch of wild flowers appears, which shows tiny, flowered faces upturned to us.  The blooms are all different colors - reds, yellows, pinks, violets, along with a sprinkling of pure white - and they are smiling at us.  A playful breeze causes them to bob their little heads up and down, and you and I both are grinning, because we find ourselves nodding back to them, like a couple of silly idiots.

 

Off to one side, there is a little waterfall - not very big - but big enough to sparkle and gurgle a bit.  And with every gurgle, you giggle.  And when you giggle, that makes me laugh, because I enjoy hearing you and seeing you so happy.

 

The view below us, of course, is spectacular.  It looks like a quilt, with many pieces of different colors, shapes, and sizes.  We point out different things to each other, and we are both delighted with what we see.  We are really too far away to pick out familiar landmarks, but we don't care.  We are so content and comfortable where we are, we don't need any familiar sites.  It is just a lot of fun trying to figure out what we are viewing.  You see one thing, and I see another.  Then we teasingly challenge each other with our visions.  Occasionally, however, we both see the same thing, and when we acknowledge it, we are just drawn closer to each other, which is, of course, such a wonderful feeling.

 

Ah, my sweet child and I are having a warm, lovely afternoon together.  Aren't we blest?  I am the more blest, I think, because I have been given such a treasure to love and enjoy ... and, what's more ... I am aware of it. 

 

Virginia (Ginny) Ellis

Copyright November 2002

For Bunny with Love