Everyday Parades

As the cloak of evening was spreading and daylight was beginning to fade we meandered down to the waters edge to watch the annual boat parade. We sat with friends and strangers while stars twinkled In the sky and watched boats, lit up for Christmas, in the distance floating by. Behind us, high in the sky, shining, as bright as she could be… the full moon cast a blanket of light that floated upon of the sea. I found, in the darkness, as the evening progressed…my eyes became attuned to the boats floating there before me as well as the distant moon. My eyes, my heart, my soul…all happily besieged by so many wonderful sights From the moonglade shimmering on the water to the masts of ships in colored lights. And I thought how once a year the parade of boats is beautiful as they pass by in colors both sparkling and bright… but the clouds that float across the moon provide their own parade each night. And I realized sitting on the dock as the boats began to fade away How lucky I was because I could count all the parades I saw that day. As the sun rose up in the morning a parade of colors crossed the sky…. down by the water on our morning walk a host of birds and fish paraded by. As we continued our walk…a parade of animals and people we would greet… as we neared our house and turned for home…a parade of ants across our street. A parade of clouds in all shapes and sizes…the sun being hidden…then revealed… a parade of children in contrasting colors running back and forth at the soccer field. A parade of birds at our bird feeder…some squirrels and even a mouse… Our friends grandchildren laughing and singing as they paraded through our house. Then once again at the boat parade kissed by moonbeams and an ocean mist…. And if these are the parades I saw today…imagine the ones I missed! Yes, today's annual boat parade was a sight to see but over time it's memory will fade… to be joyfully replaced by a life filled with memories… of so may everyday parades.