Real Cream - not milk....

I woke up 30 minutes early this morning....on purpose! When I saw the weather last night, I knew exactly what my intentional happiness would be today. Really, it's a tradition - I do it every year - have done so ever since my best friend moved away, many years ago. On the first chilly morning of the Fall, I go outside bright and early, and drink a cup of coffee, in remembrance of our friendship -  of the bond we shared in the day to day trench work of raising small children. I also drink in honor of the place she still holds in my life...I think of her as the best friend of my heart....although time and distance separate us, and we don't see each other very often (or talk to each other very often, for that matter), she was the best friend I have ever had...possibly the best friend I will ever have. So, every first chilly morning, I brew a pot of coffee, laced with cinnamon, heavy on the cream (real cream, not milk), and remember ... Our Children as babies, our shared frustrations, our laughter that oftentimes was so loud and prolonged that we startled the kids...meals shared, tears cried, silences respected...
  This morning, I went out to the pavillion (OK...full disclosure here - the "relaxation pavillion" is what some might call a car port - I have no deck or porch, and I knew after John was "Restructured" out of his job, that I probably wouldn't ever get one, so I made do. I hauled all of the junk away , pulled an old table and chairs out, a few benches, a rocker, some art on the walls, candles on the tables,  hung wind chimes on the open side wall, strung happy colored lights all across the entrance, and there you have it....a pavillion). The air was crisp and changed - yesterday it was heavy, this morning it was like air dried sheets and banana popsicles. Clancey the crack house rescue puppy was leaping with joy (He is my true child - he HATES to be hot - just like me). Jasper, my slightly moody Maine Coon monster cat followed Clancey's lead and played in the vinca. I sat, alone in the dawn, sipped my coffee, and smiled at my friend sitting in the chair...not in a Clint Eastwood bat house crazy, talk to the President in an empty chair kind of way...but in that summoning up happy memories kind of way....the kind where your gratitude for their existence outweighs the sadness you feel for the changes that occurred....Now, if I can just learn to do that with my College Boy's empty chair.....