January 18

We walked Abby to her best friend's birthday party this afternoon and then took our customary walk. It was an absolutely beautiful day: clear, sunny and an unseasonably warm 70-some degrees. As we walked along a path, my eyes were drawn upward to this sight:

It's a little hard to see, but the photo shows a flock of white birds, probably gulls. Instead of traveling together in sync, each one rolled and soared and changed direction at will. It could've been viewed as cacophonous, but it was beautiful to me. The disjointed movement created a lovely visual spectacle, and it was hard to look away and continue walking.

Life is like that: full of disharmony. But when we step back and look at the really big picture, there's beauty to be found.