HOL

Can you believe we're nearing the end of the year? That's right: it's already April! We're definitely in spring by now, but... it's also worth noting that April is the first month of the year - in alphabetical order.

Your task this month is to write at least 75 words that reflect the theme of "heading towards a new beginning". I could have required the words in each sentence to be in alphabetical order, but I'll go a bit easier on you than that. Instead, I'll require that the first word of each sentence must come earlier in the alphabet than the first word of the preceding sentence.

For example, you can follow the sentence "The ball is red." with the sentence "Red balls like that one are rare." because "red" comes before "the" in the alphabet.

The deadline is April 30 at 11:59 PM HOL; completing this prompt will earn you 25 hoots. (Partial credit will be given in the form of 1 hoot for every 3 words up to 75.)

My daughter has a birthday coming up on April 27th. Like always, Mom is feeling a bit nostalgic for days-gone-by, but this year is especially hard, it seems. Just thinking about her turning 'double digits' next year is making my heart beat just a little faster; my baby is not a baby anymore! I won't lie, I'm dreading it just a little. However, it's also an exciting time, and I cannot help but marvel at what a great girl she is growing up to be. Goodness knows, she is excited enough for both of us as she takes this next step into being 'grown'. And even though my heart tugs a bit, I am so happy to be part of her journey, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for her.

We could do worse than to emulate nature, if we are wanting to change our developed sense of self and start anew. The sheer beauty of the sunrise (or sunset if you are not a morning person), the sound of the wind in the trees and shrubbery, the fragrance of wild honeysuckle on the breeze, the stillness of the day when all of life seems to hold its breath and be NOW, these are things we can cultivate within ourself that a creature of the wild might see us, feel us, as one of them, something alive and of beauty. Maybe the next time you are with a plant or an animal, choose to become aware of the life of that creature, and share a moment of awareness of just being. Begin the journey of change.

Everyone has earned full HOOTs for their stories!